May 3, 2014

Afer sparking a flurry of controversy in March with remarks that suggested that poverty in America’s inner-cities was due in part to people who lacked an appreciation for work, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, has made a point of conveying interest and compassion for the country’s poor, particularly in minority communities.

As part of that effort, Ryan met recently with the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss possible areas of cooperation between Republicans and Democrats on addressing poverty.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, a member of the CBC, whose members are currently all Democrats, said the meeting yielded some constructive dialogue and highlighted a number of sharp ideological disagreements between the two sides.
“There were no expectations that there was going to be some great agreement,” she told the Cap Times Friday. “That wasn’t the purpose of the meeting.”