(The Hill) — A leading House Democrat is hoping to use his prestigious seat on the deficit-cutting supercommittee to close the growing gully that divides the rich and the poor in America.
Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.) said the recent debate over slashing spending and reducing deficits has all but ignored the toll those cuts could exact on lower income folks, particularly in minority communities. Clyburn — the third-ranking House Democrat and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) — is vowing to use his perch on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to tackle the nation’s enormous wealth gap.
“In 1963, Dr. [Martin Luther] King [Jr.] expressed disbelief that the vault of opportunity in this great country was empty. Yet in 2011, the gap continues to grow wider between those who enjoy great wealth and those who struggle to get by with little thought of ever getting ahead,” Clyburn said in a statement reacting to his appointment on the deficit panel.