Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. I want to thank Chairman Ed Royce for bringing this bill forward. I want to also thank Mr. Castro of Texas for his leadership and hard work on this measure, and I thank Mr. McCaul as well. Mr. Speaker, around the world, 1.2 billion people live in extreme poverty. That means they live on less than $1.25 a day. It is hard to imagine. No one should have to live on so little. At the same time, we know that areas of extreme poverty can be hotbeds for other problems. Poverty leads to broader instability. It creates vulnerabilities that can be exploited by violent extremists, jihadists, or others spreading dangerous ideologies. It holds communities and countries back. So we view alleviating poverty as the right thing to do and also as a strategic concern. That is why USAID established the Development Lab to help develop and deploy poverty reduction technologies more widely and at a lower cost. I want to acknowledge former USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, who did tremendous work at USAID helping build the Lab into a world-class center of innovation, working toward new solutions to extreme poverty. The Lab works with NGOs, corporations, and universities to bring in the best ideas and stay on the cutting edge of development.…”