WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on today's Census Bureau annual report on health care, poverty, and income:

 

"Today's report from the Census Bureau gives statistical backing to facts that millions of American families know first-hand: our economy is in trouble, and Republican policies have failed. Real median household income is still lower than it was in 2000. Since 2000, nearly 6 million more families are living in poverty--a total of 37.3 million, in the richest country in the world. And though the number of uninsured Americans decreased slightly last year, that is cold comfort to the nearly 46 million of us who still go every day without health insurance.

 

"Combined with this summer's record gas prices, the foreclosure crisis, and the skyrocketing costs of everything from food to higher education, the economic outlook is truly discouraging for those of us who find ourselves outside the top 1%. Americans want an economy that works for all of us--and in Denver this week, we're seeing how Barack Obama and Democratic leadership will get us there.

 

"John McCain, on the other hand, concedes that 'we are worse off than we were four years ago.' From a Republican who voted in lockstep with President Bush 95% of the time, it's a damning admission."