Pelosi Statement on 50th Anniversary of War on Poverty

Contact: Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement marking the 50th Anniversary of President Johnson's 1964 State of the Union address declaring war on poverty in America:

"On January 8, 1964, President Johnson stood before Congress and declared ‘unconditional war on poverty' in America. The richest nation on earth, Johnson said, cannot afford to leave millions of its citizens trapped in squalor, misery and unemployment.

"The programs born from the War on Poverty – like Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and a permanent food stamp program – have lifted millions of American families out of destitution and despair. But fifty years later, our nation's fight to stamp out poverty remains unfinished. Today, all too many Americans still live on the outskirts of hope, struggling under stagnant wages, widening income inequality, and a growing deficit of opportunity.

"On the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty, we must renew our commitment to rooting out poverty in America. It is time to restore emergency unemployment insurance for the more than 1.3 million Americans still searching for work who were cut off from this critical lifeline right in the middle of the holidays. It is time to create jobs and restore fairness for the hard working men and women of America by raising the minimum wage. It is time to end poverty in this nation."

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