Bonnie Watson Coleman: “I want to follow up on something that my colleague had alluded to, and that is the impact of low wages and the…”

“I want to follow up on something that my colleague had alluded to, and that is the impact of low wages and the government's need to subsidize. I think that he sort of spoke to it in a generalized way, but I would like to just share with you what I think happens with an individual and a family that has a $15,000 income. Since it is not enough to keep food on the table, those Americans have to turn to food stamps. Since the jobs don't come with health care, we have got to rely on Medicaid. Because $15,000 a year doesn't pay for the rent in most cities, those Americans rely on low-income housing or subsidized housing through Section 8 vouchers, or they are homeless and living in shelters. These workers' children are enrolled in children's health insurance programs, and these families are getting support through Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, the TANF program. Fifty-two percent of fast-food workers rely on public assistance programs; 46 percent of childcare workers rely on public assistance; 48 percent of home care workers rely on public assistance; and, Mr. Speaker, 25 percent of part-time college faculty--highly educated adjunct professors--rely on public assistance. According to a Berkeley report, the Federal Government spent $127.8 billion on working families in these programs. California spent almost $3.7 billion because of low-wage workers; New York, $3.3 billion; Texas, $2.1 billion; and Illinois and Florida both spent a little more than a billion.…”