OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Community Services Block Grant

Floor Speech

Date: March 14, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1695, the Community Services Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2019.

This bill renews our Nation's commitment to reducing poverty through locally driven, comprehensive approaches.

I am proud to lead this legislation with Congresswoman Betty McCollum.

Mr. Speaker, the Community Services Block Grant traces its roots back more than 50 years ago to the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This act established local committee action agencies to help people identify why people were in poverty and how to address it using public and private resources and partnerships.

Virtually every county in America has a community action agency. They act as a safety net for low-income individuals and families, but, more importantly, they help to create opportunities to raise people out of poverty--from poverty to independence.

The Community Services Block Grant is the only Federal program with the explicit goal of reducing poverty, regardless of its cause. Unfortunately, this program has not been reauthorized in more than 20 years, which is unacceptable.

It is time to reauthorize the Community Services Block Grant, and I urge all my colleagues to cosponsor and support this bill.

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