Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to thank my colleagues, both Congressmen Horsford and Jeffries, again for leading the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour. This hour is to discuss health disparities. You both have done an incredible job carrying the message of the CBC on the House floor each week, and I thank you. Mr. Speaker, the health disparities between African Americans and other racial and ethnic populations are striking. When compared with the country as a whole, African Americans are three times more likely to die from diabetes. We account for about 44 percent of all new HIV infections among adults and adolescents, despite representing only about 13 percent of the U.S. population. African-American men can expect to live approximately 6 years less than White men. African- American women are twice as likely to give birth to low-weight infants, and our children are almost five times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma. Though health disparities manifest in life-threatening ways, such as lower life expectancy and higher disease rates, the root cause is poverty. Where you live and how you live have a direct effect on how long and how well you live. Until we address the persistent poverty that plagues our communities, the debilitating cost of health disparities will continue to rise. According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, health disparities collectively cost minorities more than $1.24 trillion from 2003 to 2006.…”