AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT: CAP Experts on The Budget Committee’s Hearing on the War on Poverty
Washington, D.C. – Tomorrow, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is convening a hearing “A Progress Report on the War on Poverty: Lessons from the Frontlines.” The hearing comes as a follow up to Rep. Ryan’s “listening tour” with low-income families over the past few months, during which Ryan used a fake story to attack the school lunch program, was conspicuously absent in soup kitchens and shelters in his own district, and blamed poverty on “inner-city” men. In anticipation of the hearing, poverty experts from the Center for American Progress and people with first-hand experiences related to the War on Poverty are available to comment.
CAP experts:
- Melissa Boteach, Vice President, Half in Ten and Poverty and Prosperity Program
- Rebecca Vallas, Associate Director, Poverty to Prosperity Program
- Erik Stegman, Associate Director, Half in Ten
- Greg Kaufmann, Senior Fellow
First-hand accounts:
- Kim Robbins, Fairbury, Nebraska (page 38)
- Sarah Gatrell, Vinton Virginia (page 40)
- Amy Marchand, East Providence, Rhode Island (page 48)
- Amy Treptow, Reedsburg, Wisconsin
These contributors are part of the Our American Story community, a network of low-income families, service providers, and other community leaders working to expand economic opportunity for all through the power of sharing personal experiences.
Related resources:
- Paul Ryan Blames Poverty On Lazy ‘Inner City’ Men (ThinkProgress)
- Personal Stories on the War on Poverty (Half in Ten)
- The Safety Net Is Good Economic Policy (CAP)
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