Pallone Calls Attention to Importance of Protecting Voting Rights 50 Years After VRA Signed into Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2015

Discussion of Voting Rights Protection at Church Where First Black Voter was Parishioner and is Buried

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – Today at Perth Amboy’s historic St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) held a discussion with New Jersey residents and community leaders on the importance of restoring the Voting Rights Act 50 years after it was signed into law, and protecting the voting rights of all Americans. Congressman Pallone also honored the memory of those who marched in support of voting rights in 1965 and paid tribute to Thomas Mundy Peterson, the first black voter in the U.S., who was a parishioner of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and is buried in its cemetery.

“I am honored to bring voting rights protection to the forefront at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, the resting place of Thomas Mundy Peterson – our country’s first ever black voter, who was a parishioner here,” said Congressman Pallone. “We have come a long way since the Voting Rights Act was signed into law 50 years ago and an even longer way since we amended our constitution 145 years ago, allowing Mr. Peterson to vote, but we can never forget the struggles and sacrifices of the past.”

Pallone is a co-sponsor of the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would strengthen the law and restore the key enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. In that decision, Chief Justice Roberts acknowledged the persistence of voter discrimination and challenged Congress to come up with a new coverage formula to protect against it. However, in the two years since then, Republican leaders in Congress have blocked action on legislation that has been introduced to respond to the Supreme Court decision and restore the VRA.

“In its most basic form, the struggle over the right to vote is between those who wish to expand access to the ballot box and those who wish to restrict it,” added Pallone. “In the face of opposition, a renewed commitment to restoring and protecting voting rights is especially necessary. Congress has a responsibility to come together to restore the Voting Rights Act and allow for every American to fully participate in our democracy through the basic right to vote.”

In addition to Congressman Pallone’s remarks, the event featured a welcome and invocation by Reverend Dr. Anne-Marie Jeffery; remarks from Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz; a reading of the Voting Rights Act by Melvinia L. Knight, 1st Vice President, Perth Amboy Area NAACP; a presentation of an essay on getting to vote for the first time next year by Stephanie Rodriguez, a student at Colonia High School; remarks on Thomas Mundy Peterson by Perth Amboy Council President Lisa Nanton; and a discussion by Corrine Spencer, a Perth Amboy resident who lived in Charleston, South Carolina during segregation and voted for the first time when she moved to New Jersey.

August 6, 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.

President Obama's Weekly Address 8/8/15: Reaffirming Our Commitment to Protecting the Right to Vote

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by underscoring the importance of one of the most fundamental rights of our democracy – that all of us are created equal and that each of us deserves a voice. The enactment of the Voting Rights Act wasn’t easy – it was the product of sacrifice from countless men and women who risked so much to protect every person’s right to vote.

The President reminded us about their struggle and that while our country is a better place because of it, there is still work to be done. He promised to continue to push Congress for new legislation to protect everyone’s right to the polls, and asked that all Americans regardless of party use every opportunity possible to exercise the fundamental right to vote.

It Is More a Matter of Will

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Half a century ago, 26 percent of Americans endured, in the words of President Johnson, the “squalor and misery” of poverty. Many politicians claimed at the time that their misery was natural, even inevitable – that any economy will have winners and losers, and that government can do nothing to address that fact.

But President Johnson knew better. And so 50 years ago this week, he launched the “War on Poverty,” kick-starting programs as varied as Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Head Start and others.

And what has been the effect? As a recent Columbia University study revealed, today’s poverty rate – when properly measured, taking into account the effects of government efforts – is about 16 percent, down by 40 percent since the War on Poverty began.

This success can be traced to the programs created or improved by President Johnson. Without Medicare and Social Security, for instance, half of seniors would live in poverty today and would lack any type of health insurance. Food Stamps now keep four million people out of poverty.

Although President Johnson’s coinage may have been a misuse of the word “war” (a misuse repeated in many other government efforts to confront challenges, problems, or threats – cancer, drugs, or terrorism), he intended the effort to be massive. In fact, beyond Medicaid, the programs amounted to only 1.5 or 2 percent of GDP – a large sum to be sure, but not as huge as implied by the critics of these programs. In the wealthiest country in the world, with one of the largest GDPs per person, and with tens of millions of people looking for a way out of poverty, we could do more.

Yet today many in Congress are instead embracing the old and disproven claim that government is helpless in the face of poverty. These skeptics, mostly Republican, have already cut Food Stamps by $5 billion – and they’re trying to cut it by another $40 billion. About 57,000 students have been kicked out of Head Start, and only about one in ten children eligible for Head Start is now enrolled in the program.

Eliminate poverty? Maybe, maybe not, but it is more a matter of will than of our ability to devise programs to confront the problem. Can we muster the compassion to say, "We will not accept this in the United States!"?

Share This Newsletter

I hope you find this weekly newsletter, the eGenda, to be engaging and informative. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you regularly about my votes, my services, and the issues that affect Central New Jersey – as well as to share important information during emergencies like Hurricane Sandy.

If you find the eGenda helpful, may I ask for your help in sharing it? Please forward this message to your friends and family in Central New Jersey, or ask them to sign up by visiting holt.house.gov/egenda. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Pallone’s Statement on Medicare’s 48th Anniversary

Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Senior Democrat on the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee, today released the below statement on the 48th anniversary of Medicare. Medicare was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 30, 1965 in Independence, Missouri. Thanks to Medicare, virtually all Americans 65 and older have health care coverage. Medicare has increased both seniors’ health and economic security.

“Today, we celebrate Medicare’s success in providing health care security to seniors and people with disabilities for the past 48 years. Medicare remains one of the Democrat’s greatest achievements, and I will continue to fight to protect it for future generations.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, significant changes have made Medicare even better for current and future beneficiaries. The ACA is closing the prescription drug coverage gap or ‘donut hole,’ saving 6.6 million seniors more than $7 billion. Medicare beneficiaries also now have access to more life-saving preventatives services at no cost.

“I strongly reject GOP proposals to turn Medicare into a voucher system and their efforts to undermine and repeal the ACA. Instead, we should work together to strengthen Medicare, and that is why this month I introduced bipartisan legislation to fix the long-plagued Medicare doctor payment system, the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). This proposal will help continue to transform our current health care payment system from one that rewards volume to one that produces improved value through a focus on quality, patient outcomes, and efficiency. I look forward to continuing my work on this legislation, and to strengthen and protect Medicare in Congress.”

Great Democrats In History...

(From the Facebook page Grobanites for President Obama)