Ending Hunger and Poverty

By Pema Levy Should we keep anti-poverty programs? Or should we cut them? That was the underlying question at a contentious event Wednesday that pitted Republicans’ belief that the government’s effort to help the poor are hurting them against Democrats defending the worth of federal anti-poverty programs. Representative Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, the House Budget Committee chairman famous for his austere budget proposals, has decided to tackle the problem of poverty. He believes President Lyndon J... Read more

A highly anticipated session between black lawmakers and the conservative Republican was not the fiery confrontation some expected. By Charles D. Ellison If conservative bean counter and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was expecting a packed roomful of angry black members of Congress, he got a rude awakening.They were actually mad nice about it. A nervously anticipated meeting this week between the Congressional Black Caucus and the stumbling Badger State congressman looking ... Read more

By Rebecca Kaplan A meeting between Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Wednesday has helped reduce tensions but seems to have done little to reconcile different views on how to best fight poverty. The House Budget Committee chairman was invited to attend one of the meetings after he made comments about a "tailspin of culture in our inner cities" on conservative Bill Bennett's radio show had many members of the CBC, and even the broader Democratic establishment, cry... Read more

By NewsOne Now Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee and Gwen Moore are two of 17 women in the Congressional Black Caucus. When news broke recently that the Pentagon was tightening restrictions on hairstyles for female soldiers, most pertaining to natural styles worn commonly by black women, the representatives stepped up and have asked military officials to rethink their new standards. “I’ve had a natural or braids for a good part of my life and I see nothing wrong with any of the styles mentioned,... Read more

By Erika Eichelberger On Wednesday afternoon, anti-safety-net crusader Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in an attempt to make amends after he said on a radio show last month that urban poverty is caused by the lack of a work ethic in inner cities. At the meeting, Ryan admitted he didn't "know everything about poverty," and agreed to sit down with CBC members in the coming months to discuss specific solutions proposed by black lawmakers to address the n... Read more

By Bridget Bowman Members of the Congressional Black Caucus reported mixed reactions Wednesday to their meeting with Rep. Paul D. Ryan over comments the Wisconsin Republican made regarding poverty in inner cities that some in the CBC considered “highly offensive.” CBC Chairwoman Marcia L. Fudge, D-Ohio, told reporters after the meeting that the two sides reached a consensus that poverty affects all communities across the country. “Clearly there was some concern about comments that had been made... Read more

By Benjy Sarlin Congressman Paul Ryan will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Wednesday to clear the air after comments he made about how the culture of “inner cities” helps explain persistent poverty. “Congressman Ryan is a nice guy, and as such you know he has tried to frame the comments that he made about inner city folk as just sort of an inarticulate way of communicating,” Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) told reporters last week. “We want to challenge his assumptions about that ... Read more

By Deirdre Walsh (CNN) -- It was a much-anticipated summit between Rep. Paul Ryan and the Congressional Black Caucus. More than a month after the Wisconsin Republican ignited an angry backlash over comments that many viewed as racially insensitive, the House Budget Committee chairman sat down with members of the group to clear the air. But Wednesday's session on Capitol Hill didn't bridge the gulf between Ryan's philosophy of addressing poverty and that of the black caucus - whose members defen... Read more

By Mike Lillis and Erik Wasson Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and black Democrats emerged Wednesday from a much-anticipated meeting on reducing poverty with a similar frustrated message: We still don't agree on solutions. The closed-door gathering was designed to locate common ground between members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), who want to tackle poverty largely by boosting federal spending on programs for the poor, and Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman whose recent budget bill wou... Read more

By Marge Pitrof Caucus members, including WI Rep. Gwen Moore, want to challenge Rep. Paul Ryan for questioning the work ethic of men living in inner cities and for his plan scaling back anti-poverty programs. Congressman Ryan made his comment about inner city men, on Bill Bennett’s radio program. Ryan had been talking about his plan to move people out of poverty. “We have got this tailspin of culture in our inner cities, in particular, of men not working – of generations of men not even thinkin... Read more