Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement on House Republicans’ harmful plan that would exacerbate poverty in this country:

“Today, Republicans have unveiled a fake poverty program that shows, yet again, they are out of touch with the realities of poverty in America. This is nothing more than a weak attempt by Republicans to make it look as if they really care about the problems they have long ignored. But the American people know the truth. The GOP could care less about ending poverty in America. And this proposal is proof positive of that fact. It is jam-packed with the same old cringe-inducing policies that would only hurt and blame the poor, not help them.

“For example, the plan would place unrealistic time limits and so-called work requirements on families who rely on public or assisted housing. Of course, they completely ignore the high cost of rental housing and how that contributes to not only poverty but also homelessness. They also give no consideration for job training, education, job availability, child care, and the myriad other issues that prevent people from getting ahead. If Republicans were truly concerned about poverty, they would invest in these kinds of critical social services programs instead of trotting out the same old tired rhetoric.

“This plan also takes a potshot at our nation’s seniors. Democrats have worked closely with the Department of Labor to protect seniors from financial advisers who provide conflicted advice about their retirement assets, which has cost our retirees $17 billion each year. The proposal continues Republicans’ unrelenting attack on the Labor Department’s efforts to prohibit such conflicted advice and to help ensure that all Americans can retire with dignity and security.

“But as this plan makes all too clear, Republicans don’t really care about poverty, ending poverty, or people in poverty.”

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