Kendrick Meek: “I rise in strong and unwavering support for H. Con. Res. 198 and am pleased to be a co-sponsor on this Congressional…”

“I rise in strong and unwavering support for H. Con. Res. 198 and am pleased to be a co-sponsor on this Congressional Resolution that draws attention to the approximately 37 million Americans who live in poverty. In particular, I am bound and determined to meeting the Resolution's goal of cutting poverty in half over the next 10 years. The number of impoverished Floridians increased from 859,888 in 2000 to 943,670 in 2005, a 9.7 percent rise, representing almost 6 percent of the total population. Over those years, Broward County's severely poor grew from 77,942 to 82,327, while Miami-Dade's poverty rate of 6.8 percent was among the highest in the State. African Americans and Hispanics have poverty rates far above the poverty rate for Caucasians. In 2005, 24.9 percent of African Americans (9.2 million) and 21.8 percent of Hispanics (94 million) had incomes below poverty, compared to 8.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites (16.2 million) and 11.1 percent of Asians (1.4 million). Although African Americans represent only 12.6 percent of the total population, they make up 24.8 percent of the poor population. And among those that are the highest of our country's poor are our children. In 2005, 12.3 million children (17.1 percent) were poor. For African American children, this statistic is even higher--in 2005, 34.2 percent of black children were poor (3.7 million). This is inexcusable in a country where so many live in great wealth. Poverty is hunger.…”