Rick Lazio: “Mr. Chairman, I will tell my colleagues what is cruel, what is heartless, and what is shameful. It is defending the…”

“Mr. Chairman, I will tell my colleagues what is cruel, what is heartless, and what is shameful. It is defending the status quo. It is continuing to condemn Americans throughout the country, especially in our inner-cities, to continue life in poverty, despair, and disillusion. We are trying to transform our society, Mr. Chairman. We are trying to do that in a compassionate way. We understand this will not happen overnight. We understand this bill will not change the problems that have made these challenges so complex and sometimes overwhelming with the strike of a pen. But it begins the process of progress, of returning local control, of encouraging work and providing work incentives, of providing for mixed-income populations in public and assisted housing so that the working poor will no longer be taxed, will no longer be punished, and they will be permitted to stay in public housing.”