Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-4) released the following statement in recognition of Poverty in America Awareness Month.

“Today, the unemployment rate stands at 8.6 percent and despite recent economic growth more than 43 million Americans including 14.7 million children live in poverty, the highest in the more than 50 years since we have been tracking this data.  The poverty rate among women climbed to 14.5 percent in 2010 from 13.9 percent in 2009, the highest in 17 years, and minority communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by higher unemployment and will experience dramatically higher rates of poverty.

“It is a shame that in a country so rich with resources, that we continue to ignore the issue of poverty among Americans. Sadly, the Republican-led Congress seems content to respond to our economic crisis by attempting to balance the budget on the backs of the poor and cutting vital programs that would keep our children off of the streets and in school and keep families in their homes and fight hunger. Consequently, many Americans are forced to make hard decisions between paying the rent, buying food, receiving health care or paying for utilities. These are impossible decisions that no one should have to make.

“In an effort to address this dire situation in our country I introduced the Rewriting to Improve and Secure an Exit Out of Poverty Act (the RISE Out of Poverty Act or the RISE Act), an overhaul of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant(TANF). It is clear that for the past fifteen years TANF has systematically failed to adequately respond to the growing needs of our most vulnerable populations - eliminating entitlements, imposing harsh work requirements, and establishing barriers to education and training.

“As a former welfare recipient who was able to work her way out of poverty, I understand the acute need to revamp this program that has been failing our most at-risk populations. It is time that we break down these barriers to assistance and provide low-income families with the support they need and deserve. The RISE Act will make sweeping, common sense reforms to the TANF program to ensure that it works for, rather than against the populations it was originally intended to serve.

“As we emerge from the holiday season, it is critical that Congress and the entire country recommit to the fight against poverty and pursue a strong, sustained, and comprehensive response to help end hunger, homelessness and poverty in America. By defeating poverty we will restore our failing economy and put our nation back on a path to prosperity.”

In an effort to bring attention to this national crisis, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) designated January as “Poverty in America Awareness Month.” To learn more about this initiative please click here. To learn more about Congresswoman Moore’s RISE Act, please click here.

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