Rep. Davis on Sotu: Calls for Focus on Eliminating Poverty

Statement

Forty seven years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared in his State of the Union address, a legislative program titled the War on Poverty. During this time, the national poverty rate was nineteen percent and there was an expansion in government's role in social welfare programs producing a decline for the next decade.

Rep. Davis stated, "While I am excited and support President Obama's vision for a renewed focus on job creation via infrastructure, investments in education and research and development to make our country more competitive in a global market, I would also like a focus on the elimination of poverty for those citizens who are at risk and have not seen the benefits of the current recovery. I look forward to working with President Obama and my Republican colleagues to offer innovative solutions to eliminate poverty."

Last figures suggest that the national average for poverty in the United States is 14.3 percent or 43 million people. However, the 7th Congressional District has one of the highest poverty rates at 24 percent.

Source