Today nearly 39 million Americans, including 480,000 Oregonians live below the federal poverty line. That is a staggering disgrace. We are the richest nation in the world, yet the number of people in poverty has been actually been rising in recent years. It is a central commitment of mine in this campaign to help rebuild this nation’s middle class and that means providing opportunities for every American to make a better life for themselves. And I mean everyone. Too often those living in real poverty are overlooked in our discussions of the economy. I simply cannot accept a society where people are left out the effort to create shared prosperity. Therefore, I have outlined a “Poverty Agenda” to help those living in poverty join the middle class.
Affordable Housing for All
Affordable housing is central to pulling families out of poverty, helping them live within a budget and providing them the chance to live in the communities where they work. In recent years, Oregon’s wages have not kept pace with housing prices and the number of renters paying more than a third of their income on rent has grown significantly. This phenomenon is perhaps most dramatically demonstrated by the growing number of homeless children in Oregon schools – an 18% increase in the 2006-2007 school year. It is great that these kids are in school, but that increase should be a real wakeup call about the underlying issues of economic inequality, consumer debt and what it will take if we are serious about rebuilding the middle class – and ladders to the middle class in this country.
We need to get serious about affordable housing in the U.S. Senate. I’ll fight for full funding of Section 8 housing programs to preserve the available supply of affordable housing and prevent the loss of these units to the private sector. But we must do more to encourage communities to build and support affordable housing. That is why I will be an outspoken advocate in the Senate for rewarding communities that expand their available supply of affordable housing, particularly through mixed development that integrates such projects into larger communities. That approach will create diverse neighborhoods and provide low-income families easy access to work, good schools, health care, banking services and other basic qualities of life that many take for granted. The federal government can use the power of the purse (adjusting transportation funding, for example) to reward states and localities for doing the right thing.
National Health Care Reform
The rising cost of health care is directly linked to the challenges of poverty in America today. Medical bills are one of the leading causes of bankruptcy, and the high cost of health insurance is putting needed care out of the reach of too many people today.
As strapped families struggle to cover basic needs such as food, shelter and energy bills, health insurance often takes a back seat. Some might believe that Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) offers coverage to all low-income Americans, but that is not true. Millions of low-income Americans are currently ineligible for these programs. And without insurance, people forgo checkups and regular care, ending up in the emergency room, where the costs are passed on to everyone. That, in part, is why I will fight for national health care reform. Nobody in our society should have to worry whether they can afford to be sick.
A Better Minimum Wage
We need to raise the national minimum wage to help Americans willing to work hard create a better life for themselves. In addition, we must index it to inflation to make sure that it keeps up with the rising costs of food, energy and other household expenses. I also pledge to fight attempts in Congress to rollback Oregon’s voter-approved minimum wage. I was appalled when Gordon Smith voted to reduce that minimum wage for Oregon waiters and waitresses by applying a new tip-credit rate to food servers. As my mother spent a decade as a waitress at the Village Green Resort Motor Hotel and Restaurant, I take that very personally.
Affordable Child Care
The high cost of child care makes it harder for parents living in poverty to find work or hold down a job. Half of low-income families with children are single-parent families, according to the Urban Institute, making it even more challenging to balance the demands of the workplace and the home. Currently, some families are eligible for the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, but as the Center for American Progress reports:
The federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit defrays a small share of the cost of child care: 20 percent to 35 percent of the first $3,000 for one child or $6,000 for two or more children. But this tax credit only offsets tax liability. As a result, families with incomes below $20,000 receive less than one percent of its benefits.
If we are to address poverty in America, it is time to make a real investment by restructuring the child care block grant system into a federal-state partnership. The goal is to help all working families with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty line receive affordable child care.
Assistance for Americans in Hunger
An estimated 35 million Americans have trouble putting food on the table every night, an incredible statistic given the affluence enjoyed by so many in our society. Here in Oregon, we’ve done a good job in recent years reducing that number by helping those in need through the Oregon Food Bank and the food stamps program. But even with those successes, about one in five Oregon children live in what is called a “food insecure home.” We must do more nationally to educate eligible families about opportunities for food assistance. In addition, we should also work to educate low-income families about providing nutritious options on a tight food budget. And, of course, we should reform the Farm Bill to shift subsidies from carbohydrates toward fruits and vegetables.
The high incidence of obesity and other diet-related health problems in low-income children is a symptom of the challenges of providing affordable, healthy meals.
Better Investment in Transportation and Planning
Too many low-income Americans are forced to travel long distances between their homes and work – taking away time with their families and making it harder to make a better life. In the Senate, I will push for federal transportation spending to encourage expansion of mass transit and better urban planning to help people find work in the communities where they live.
Public Advocacy
Aside from policy prescriptions and proposals, we must do more to ensure that the poor in America are never overlooked or forgotten. I was proud to support John Edwards’ campaign, in part for his commitment to addressing poverty and economic inequality in America. As Oregon’s next U.S. Senator, I’d be an outspoken advocate on poverty issues – demanding real action in Congress to ensure that everyone in our nation can get ahead, not just the richest one percent. In addition, I’d use the bully pulpit to put the issue squarely in the public’s eye, holding town halls, visiting communities to talk about their challenges in fighting poverty and pushing the media to cover the issue.
