Committee member urges hearing on U.S. childhood poverty ranking

A committee member urged the panel to hold a hearing on childhood poverty in the United States, citing a United Nations comparison that placed the country 35th out of 36 nations and saying "millions of children today are going hungry." The speaker asked, "What about a hearing on that?" and told the chair that the issue merited formal consideration.

The lawmaker framed the ranking and hunger claims as a policy failure that should be examined by the committee, saying the U.S. is not last but is near the bottom compared with other major countries and that Republican policies have worsened the problem, according to the remarks. The speaker also highlighted the contrast between national wealth and persistent child poverty.

The remarks were delivered as a direct appeal to committee leadership to add a hearing focused on the causes and consequences of child poverty. The transcript does not record a response from the chair or any formal action to schedule such a hearing.