OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act of 2022

Floor Speech

Date: May 17, 2022
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 6531, directs the Office of Management and Budget to lead a government-wide effort to review the share of Federal funds addressing poverty across agencies. Specifically, OMB must issue guidance to Federal agencies to increase the share of Federal investments targeting to areas of high and persistent poverty.

Additionally, the bill directs the Census Bureau to annually publish a list of all persistent poverty areas. The legislation intends to produce a consistent listing of areas of persistent poverty for agencies to use in determining funding allocations.

The Federal Government currently spends an enormous amount of taxpayer funds on low-income populations. You may ask: Exactly how much taxpayer funds does the Government spend on low-income populations? Well, I can tell you from being a minority member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee that I can't get you that answer because the Democrats on the Oversight and Reform Committee have produced absolutely zero oversight during the entire Biden administration.

Despite the excessive spending on that side of the aisle, Madam Speaker, we have had basically zero oversight of taxpayer funds on the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

That is important that such funding decisions appropriately balance the needs of rural communities across America that have been left behind and are experiencing prolonged struggles with poverty.

Again, I want to remind my friends across the aisle that those of us on this side of the aisle believe that the best way to get out of poverty is to create an environment where people living in poverty have access to good-paying jobs.

But the old model that is the government model that continues to be espoused by my friends on the other side of the aisle is more government programs to help those who currently reside in poverty.

Madam Speaker, that is a summary of the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Herrell).

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Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I have pretty much summarized the bill in my opening statement, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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