Community Services Block Grant Modernization Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. HORSFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment, which will ensure we address the impacts health inequities have on creating and exacerbating poverty within our communities.

As my constituents and far too many Americans know, unequal access to quality healthcare can be financially crushing.

Whether an individual is too sick to work and cannot receive adequate care or the care they received was very expensive and inadequate, we know health inequity is a root cause of poverty in Nevada and across the country.

We cannot combat poverty without recognizing the role that health inequities play to perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

Through my work coleading the Ways and Means Committee's Racial Equity Initiative, I have seen firsthand just how valuable data can be when we are examining disparities.

In our healthcare system, the data speaks for itself. In my State of Nevada, African Americans and Latinos are twice as likely as their White counterparts to develop asthma. This and other chronic illnesses exacerbate disparities due to their inherently pervasive nature.

To combat this, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and the CSBG Modernization Act in a bipartisan manner.

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