Dodd: More Needs to be Done to Address Child Poverty

Press Release

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today addressed poverty advocates during the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN) and the Half in Ten Campaign's webinar on poverty data released last Thursday by the Census Bureau. The data revealed that more than 15 million children, or more than one in five kids, lived in poverty in 2009.

"During these tough economic times more and more American children are falling into poverty," said Dodd. "These numbers are not only heartbreaking figures, but they also serve as a wakeup call that more needs to be done to help ensure that parents can provide for the basic needs of their children and American families can enjoy a decent standard of living. I will continue to fight to make sure that we do not fail our nation's most important asset -- our children."

As the Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families, and founder of the "Children's Caucus," Senator Dodd has long worked to improve the lives of American families and children. Dodd authored the Family Medical Leave Act, historic legislation that has allowed millions of Americans to take time off work to care for their family without having to worry about losing their jobs.

Dodd was a strong supporter of the creation of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health insurance coverage to children not eligible for Medicaid. Dodd also fought for the creation of the Child Care and Development Block Grants, which have been instrumental in helping working parents afford child care services.

Currently, Dodd is holding a series of hearings on "The State of the American Child" examining all aspects of children's lives: their health, educational experience in and out of the classroom, and their lives at home with their families and in their communities. The focus of the hearings is to examine the inter-connectedness of all these aspects and how they shape and define the lives of our children, as well as the policies and programs that are currently helping children at the local, state, and federal level.

The Half in Ten Campaign is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the Coalition on Human Needs with a goal of reducing poverty by 50 percent in ten years. Their goal is to raise awareness about poverty and advocate for effective poverty reduction solutions.

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