“Poverty is one of the great challenges of our day and I applaud Senator Obama’s campaign for standing up for a more honest way of measuring it. The existing federal poverty measure is bankrupt because it ignores regional cost of living differences on one hand and many government benefits programs on the other. This one-size-fits-all approach is the same whether a family lives in Manhattan, New York or Manhattan, Kansas.

“Without an accurate look at our nation’s problems, it is hopeless to expect to address them. I want to thank Senator Obama for joining the growing number of forward-thinking leaders in this effort to help all Americans redeem the promise of the American dream.”