Rep. Doggett: Working for Our Most Vulnerable Families, Children is My Focus

Subcommittee Work is Working for Texas Families. In the recent hearings that I have overseen, I have shared a number of stories about how the programs that this committee oversees serve Texans. For example, federal funding authorized by our panel is helping address parental substance abuse in Texas families. Last week, I received a note from my friend, District Judge Darlene Byrne in Austin, who helped establish a Family Treatment Drug Court that was partially funded with federal funds. Thanks to this federal support, Judge Byrne has seen new babies who are not drug positive, moms who are reunified with their children, and workers who receive their GEDs and go on to find jobs.

Standing Up to Republican Efforts to Blame Unemployment on the Unemployed. Our panel has also struggled to fend off Republican efforts to blame unemployment on the unemployed and to cut assistance to our most desperately unemployed workers who lost work through no fault of their own. Extended unemployment insurance has impacted the lives of many in Central Texas, including a woman named Anne, whose story I told at a hearing this summer. Anne was vice president of an Austin company that borrowed too much, and when the economy tanked, her company did too. It closed its door and 88 people in Central Texas were without a job. Anne contacted my office to learn what she could do, and we told her about the benefits she was due. Anne says the benefits kept her home together and kept her together. Without these benefits, a difficult situation would have become a disastrous situation. During the time that she received extended unemployment benefits, Anne applied for 118 jobs, and received three interviews. For two of those, the employers told her she was overqualified. This summer, she was still struggling to find a job.

I Take My Service as Ranking Member Seriously. The committee's works has a real and direct impact on families. Whether it is an abused child, an unemployed worker, or a person struggling with a disbility, many Americans rely on these services just to get by. But as needs have grown in recent years, the Republicans have flatlined funding for these safety net programs. Though we must ensure these programs are efficient and that every taxpayer dollar is well spent, we have a responsibility to look out for the most vulnerable among us, particularly in these difficult economic times.

As the top Democratic watchdog for these vital services in the House, I will continue to speak out against Republican efforts to further slash our safety net and stand up for you.