Statement from Senator Obama on the Census Income, Health Insurance and Poverty Numbers

Chicago, IL -- "Today's news confirms what America's struggling families already know - that over the past seven years our economy has moved backwards. We have now lived through first so-called economic 'expansion' on record where typical families saw their incomes fall, and working-age households lost more than $2,000 from their paychecks. Another 816,000 Americans fell into poverty in 2007 - including nearly 500,000 children - bringing the total increase in Americans in poverty under President Bush to 5.7 million. And on Bush's watch, an additional 7.2 million Americans have fallen into the ranks of the uninsured. This is the failed record of George Bush's economic policies that Senator McCain has called 'great progress.' While Senator McCain is promising four more years of the failed Bush economic policies, my economic plan will restore bottom up economic growth that benefits all Americans by cutting taxes for working Americans, providing affordable, accessible health care for all, and investing in new energy, education and infrastructure so we can create millions of good jobs here in America," said Senator Barack Obama.

Highlights from the Census report:

• Between 2000 and 2007, median income for working age households fell by $2,176. When elderly households are included, median income declined by $324 over the same period. This is the first economic expansion on record where typical households have seen their incomes decline. Under the Clinton Administration, median household income increased by $6,200.
  • African American household income fell by $1,804 between 2000 and 2007; Hispanic household income fell by $1,256 over the same period
  • Based on declining wages over the first 7 months of this year, median household income is likely to fall by at least $700 in 2008, bringing total income lost for the typical household under the Bush Administration to over $1000.
• An additional 816,000 Americans fell into poverty in 2007, bringing the total increase in Americans in poverty under President Bush to 5.7 million.
  • 500,000 children fell into poverty in 2007. There are 1.7 million more children living in poverty than in 2000.

  
  

• Between 2000 and 2007, an additional 7.2 million Americans have fallen into the ranks of the uninsured. This is the largest increase in the number of people without health insurance of any Presidential Administration on record.
  • The share of Americans with private health coverage fell from 67.9% in 2006 to 67.5% in 2007. This share has fallen every year that President Bush has been in office, declining a total of 5 percentage points since 2000.
  • 940,000 African Americans have lost health insurance since 2000, along with 3 million Hispanics