Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, in today's Special Order, my colleagues and I will focus on the important work being done in all of our communities to expand opportunity, alleviate poverty, and promote upward mobility for all Americans. I want to personally acknowledge Speaker Ryan for his focus and leadership on this important issue and his efforts to energize local leaders to explore new, effective policies for combating poverty in the United States. In 2014, we marked 50 years since the Great Society program was commenced by President Johnson. Over the past 25 years, Congress has taken numerous steps intended to reduce poverty in the United States, but these have not had the long-term effects that many expected. This is largely because of an undue focus on welfare reform rather than just identifying specifically and focusing on addressing the underlying causes of poverty. Identifying opportunities for self-improvement, addressing the increased growth in poverty and the pernicious effects across the U.S. are of keen interest to me, particularly given Arkansas' elevated poverty rate of 19.7 percent of our population. {time} 1630 I believe it is crucial to focus our attention on identifying ways to empower individuals to take control of their own livelihoods and futures so that they no longer feel that they must rely on external programs that, at best, only play an ancillary role in improving economic circumstances and, at worst, perpetuate intergenerational cycles of poverty.…”