Political Quotes

“As the cofounder of the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus and chair of the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, I rise today to continue talking about the ongoing crisis of poverty and the impact of sequester. We are well aware of the impact the sequester is having on many, many communities across the country in terms of devastating some of the basic social safety networks that we have all benefited from in many, many ways. They're really very, very harmful to our most vulnerable. Nearly 50 million Americans, including 16 million children all across our country and in every congressional district, are living in poverty. Yet the sequester continues to have devastating impacts on access to childhood education, affordable housing, hot meals for low-income seniors, Head Start, and countless other programs that help low-income and vulnerable Americans. But, Madam Speaker, these draconian cuts are not enough for some of my colleagues, given what took place last night at the Ag Committee. Last night, the Ag Committee passed a $20 billion cut to our Nation's first line of defense against hunger in the farm bill. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp program, is really a vital lifeline for millions of Americans. As a young, single mother, I relied on food stamps and public assistance during a very difficult period in my life.…”