In the United States, there are roughly 400 counties where 20 percent or more of the population has been living below the poverty line for the last 30 years. These counties mired in persistent poverty are as diverse as our great nation; African American communities in Mississippi and South Carolina, Appalachian communities in Kentucky and North Carolina, Native American communities in South Dakota and Alaska, and Latino communities in Arizona and New Mexico. They lack access to quality schools, affordable quality health care and adequate job opportunities.
When we drafted the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, I fought to ensure that no communities were left behind by including a provision that directed at least 10 percent of Rural Development investments be made in persistent poverty communities, counties where 20 percent or more of the population had lived below the poverty line for the last 30 years. This became known as the 10-20-30 formula, and was included in four sections of that Act.
I continue to urge Congress to include the 10-20-30 approach in future funding proposals and expand it to all federal agencies. It doesn’t require additional funding — only the stipulation that at least ten percent of any agency’s appropriated programmatic funds be invested in persistent poverty communities. We are only as strong as our weakest link, and these communities must be included in our efforts to get the entire nation back on track.