Expressing the Sense of Congress that the United States has a Moral Responsibility to Meet the Needs of Those persons, Groups and Communities that are Impoverished, Disadvantaged or Otherwise in Poverty

Floor Speech

EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE PERSONS, GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IMPOVERISHED, DISADVANTAGED OR OTHERWISE IN POVERTY -- (House of Representatives - January 22, 2008)

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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H. Con. Res. 198, as amended, which expresses the sense of Congress that the United States has a moral responsibility to meet the needs of those persons, groups and communities that are impoverished, disadvantaged or otherwise in poverty.

H. Con. Res. 198 was introduced by Representative Barbara Lee on August 1, 2007, and was amended and reported from the Oversight Committee on December 12 by a voice vote. The measure has the support and sponsorship of 80 Members of Congress and reminds each of us of the important role we play in the battle against poverty.

Madam Speaker, I want to continue with certain of my remarks in the Record, but I would like to make other remarks at this time.

We have just come from the celebration of the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. His signature issues, of course, were war and peace and poverty, falling only behind civil rights. It's clear that he achieved what he desired, certainly much of what we desired, because during the 1960s there were three seminal civil rights bills passed, long-time goals of African Americans, other people of color, and many in this Chamber.

But two of King's goals remain completely without remedy. One, of course, is war and peace, and you can imagine where he would have been on the war in Iraq. But perhaps, most telling, is that we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday at a time when the gap between rich and poor is considerably wider than when King died.

Therefore, I am not sure whether the gentlewoman from California had in mind that we would bring this bill up right after Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, but there it is, and that makes it all the more timely.

As it turns out, though, Madam Speaker, the state of the economy has rendered this issue high on the national agenda for the first time in many years. For the first time, the entire Congress will be looking or should be looking at those who have the least in our society and why. I am afraid it's not because of their high priority. They are the lowest voting group. They sometimes are invisible. But the fact is that economists across the board have said that we need to enact a stimulus package yesterday, and that in order for it to have any effect, and, in fact, not be effective when it might do more harm than good, we need to get the stimulus package in the pockets of people who can spend the money immediately.

Therefore, many of us think that the people we know who will spend the money tomorrow are the people who have no money to spend. The people who run out of food stamps in the middle of the month. The people who have run out of unemployment security. The people who need the most but who have the lowest profile often in the Congress now have assumed importance because of the state of the economy.

Madam Speaker, what is most distressing was to see that the poverty rate increased even for people 65 and over by almost 400,000 people. The one group of people that, in fact, gets some attention in the Congress, of course, are the elderly. They are the highest percentage of voting people; yet, their poverty rate is going up. That is very distressing since they are on fixed incomes and are least able to do something about it. They don't get unemployment insurance, many of them don't.

I am particularly concerned about the people who don't show up on the tax rolls. Many, if not most of them, pay payroll taxes. The only way to focus on them is to focus on them who needs, who will spend the money first should get the money first.

My concern about the baby boomers, those over 65, is not only that they should be in this group. I know they will spend the money instantly. But my concern is to wonder whether or not this is a harbinger of the baby boomers, the first baby boomers have just come forward, whether we are about to see that huge group of people show up, bringing increased pressure on the economy.

So I compliment the gentlelady from California for coming forward with a bill that I am sure will have bipartisan support.

In the District of Columbia, I have to tell her that we are not a poor city. We are second per capita in Federal income taxes and, therefore, a lot of middle-class and rich people in the District of Columbia, but one of every three children in the District of Columbia lives in poverty.

I want to make sure that whatever we do to stimulate the economy or to pay attention to this resolution hits those children very quickly. We have 10 percent of District residents living in extreme poverty, even though the District cannot be counted among those cities which have lost so much, many of them lost a base, because we have the Federal Government here, because even our real estate industry continues to boom.

Madam Speaker, I think this timely resolution is important not only for its own sake, but because it draws our attention to what I believe will be a first priority for the Congress this session, especially today as our congressional leadership on both sides of the aisle are meeting with the President of the United States on the very stimulus package that I have described.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, the poor in our country have assumed a high profile today because of the state of the economy. I hope that the gentlelady's resolution helps us to bear in mind that the poor in our country need a higher profile throughout the 110th Congress.

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