Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth says the House of Representatives should re-commit itself to the War on Poverty by passing a three-month extension of jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.
The Jefferson County Democrat says the assault launched half a century ago by President Lyndon Johnson made a difference.
Yarmuth says programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Food Assistance and Head Start have improved many lives.
“It encompasses health and well-being, education, employment and access to opportunity. We have made progress. In 1967, nearly 26 percent of Americans lived in poverty. Today, that number is 16 percent. Programs such as the earned income tax credit, which gives working Americans a ladder into the middle class have helped us make that progress.” –John Yarmuth
Five decades later, says Yarmuth, eradicating poverty should remain a moral imperative.
