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Chairman McDermott Holds Safety Net Hearing
October 8, 2009
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), chairman of the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee, held a hearing today on the response of America’s safety net to the recession. McDermott’s subcommittee has jurisdiction over critical safety net programs like unemployment insurance, TANF (Temporary Aid for Needy Families) and foster care.
In his opening statement, McDermott said: “We are here today to assess the response of our public assistance programs to the rise in joblessness and poverty brought on by the recession. More people are in need now than during any time in recent history and they deserve our help.”
Among the witnesses the subcommittee heard testimony from was Lawrence Mishel, President of the Economic Policy Institute. Mishel underscored not only the need, but the public’s will for increased assistance to help Americans weather these times of hardship saying, “Many Members of Congress believe that the Recovery Act and the bailout of the financial sector have exhausted our ability to act or at least exhausted the public’s appetite for intervention. Neither is true.”
Other witnesses who testified included leaders from Human Services agencies in several states, including Kathleen Southwick, Executive Director, Crisis Clinic, in King County, Washington. She told McDermott’s subcommittee that more people are calling for help, “Through our telephone system, we track our incoming calls and they have grown from 109,000 in 2006 to a projected 202,000 for 2009. By 2011, we expect to receive over 276,000 calls.”
McDermott noted that there are signs the economy is improving, but today there are six workers competing for every available job. Economists say that employment is a so-called lagging indicator, which means it is one of the last areas to improve.
McDermott, who passed an extension of unemployment benefits in the House two weeks ago, pledged to continue to stand by people who need a helping hand. “We need to move forward with policies that generate good jobs, while also helping those who are struggling to find work and keep their families out of poverty,” McDermott said.
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