Census Data Shows President Bush's Failed Leadership Falls Disproportionately on Hispanic Families

Washington, DC - Even as Republican Party leaders travel the country hyping their newfound interest in attracting minority voters, the Census Bureau today released new data showing that Hispanic families have been especially hurt by the Bush Administration's failed leadership on poverty, health insurance and wages. The report, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004, shows that 800,000 more Americans lacked health insurance in 2004, that the number of Americans living in poverty and the nation's poverty rate increased, and that median wages in America stayed unchanged for the second consecutive year, even as gas prices and inflation continued to climb.

According to the report: 13.7 million Hispanics lacked health insurance in 2004, an increase of 1.8 million since 2000; median income for Hispanic households was $34,241 in 2004- down by more than $2,000 since Bush took office; and nearly 22 percent (9.1 million) of Hispanics lived in poverty, an increase of almost 500,000 over the past two years.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement:

"Actions speak louder than words. The Republican Party's hollow rhetoric about reaching out to minority voters can't hide the fact that President Bush's failed leadership has driven more people onto the rolls of the uninsured, pushed more families into poverty, and driven down real workers' wages. Instead of finding solutions to the problems confronting American families, President Bush and his party have chosen a disastrous special interest-driven agenda highlighted by irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, disastrous deficits, and a risky Social Security scheme that would undermine the promise of retirement security for Hispanic seniors.

"Democrats know that we can do better by balancing the budget and getting the economy working for everyone so that American families don't have to choose between a bag of groceries and a gallon of gas."