To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launch of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) reflected on the campaign’s efforts and outlined priorities going forward on Wednesday.
“Today we reflect on and acknowledge the efforts of the past to fight the War on Poverty and perhaps more importantly, we look carefully at where we are today as a nation,” Reed said. “Getting Americans back to work with the tools necessary to succeed will combat that trend. The best way to prepare individuals is by teaching them to fish rather than simply handing them a fish.”
More than $15 trillion has been spent in the War on Poverty over the last 50 years. Today, however, more than 46.5 million people live in poverty, which is more than ever before, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“As a country, we need to work to move away from the status quo that is clearly not working and create new, fair opportunities for education, training and jobs,” Reed said. “Solutions we work toward should empower individuals and families to be self sufficient and engage the nation’s youth now to break the cycle of generational poverty. Every one of us is affected by poverty in American and it will take each one of us working together to help end this war, once and for all.”