Center for American Progress on Why New Census Poverty Report Is a ‘Clarion Call’ for Congress to Improve Economic Security of Struggling Families

Washington, D.C.—(ENEWSPF)–After the Bureau of the Census released its 2013 figures for poverty and income, Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:

The new Census data reveal that four years into the economic recovery, low- and middle-income families are still feeling the pain of unshared growth, stagnant incomes, and widespread economic insecurity. The economy is off kilter, with households at the top continuing to capture most of the gains from economic growth, while middle-class and struggling families are still waiting for the recovery to reach them.

Congress seems intent on making things worse. In 2013, Congress allowed across-the-board cuts to hit education, job training, and child care services, alongside reductions in nutrition assistance for families who can barely put food on the table. Today’s data should be a clarion call that Congress must change course to invest in job creation, raise the minimum wage, and enact measures to improve the economic security of struggling families.