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Obama Endorses New Poverty Measure

Jul 31, 202064.4K Shares1M Views
The tone after yesterday’s House hearing promoting a new federal poverty gaugewas one lacking in urgency. Though Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) has introduced legislation on the topic, there is no Senate equivalent, and there’s probably too little time left in the legislative year to bring it up if there were. McDermott’s office said his House bill is a test shot — designed to jump-start the poverty debate with eyes looking to next year.
Miraculously, it worked.
On Thursday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the likely Democratic presidential nominee, threw his hefty support behind the concept, according to Congressional Quarterly, a Capitol Hill news outfit. As campaign spokesman Nick Shapiro told CQ:
Sen. Obama believes that we should modernize the federal poverty guidelines to more accurately reflect the costs of living and the economic pressures on American families. Without an accurate measure of poverty and economic insecurity in America, we will not be able to fully tackle the effects of these problems on our children and families.
Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive GOP nominee, has yet to weigh in, CQ reported.
Rhyley Carney

Rhyley Carney

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