U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) visited the Central Illinois Foodbank in Springfield on Thursday to highlight House Republican’s “A Better Way” policy agenda to help fight poverty.
Davis was on hand to see Land O’Lakes donate 40,000 pounds of macaroni and cheese to the foodbank to support local families in need.
“The Central Illinois Foodbank distributes nine million pounds of food each year to families in need,” Davis said. “Their work would not be possible without donations from companies like Land O’Lakes. We’re working in Washington to ensure foodbanks continue to see charitable donations like this by providing some certainty within our federal tax code. Foodbanks help charities give families a leg up when they need it the most.”
The federal government has spent $22 trillion to fight poverty since President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a “war on poverty” in 1964 — but the poverty rate remains virtually unchanged.
“Unfortunately, poverty remains cyclical for many in this country because the system is broken,” Davis said. “The House has outlined a plan, ‘A Better Way,’ to fix the system, expand opportunity, and help people get out of this cycle that has trapped too many families right here in Central Illinois.”
The plan would encourage work by requiring states to connect people with jobs and job training through welfare programs, reward people for working by tailoring benefits to meet their needs, and demand accountability and results from federal poverty programs.