Rep. Gwen Moore (D-CA) on Tuesday said that the Congressional Black Caucus is willing to work with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), despite the comments he made last month about unemployment and inner city culture.
“Congressman Ryan is a nice guy,” Moore told reporters in a conference call, according to Roll Call.
Ryan opined on the “tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working.”
Democrats, including at least one CBC member, slammed Ryan for his remarks. He then explained that his comment was “inarticulate.”
The GOP congressman, who has said that fighting poverty is a top priority, has accepted a meeting with the CBC. Moore told reporters she sees the sit-down as an opportunity, according to Roll Call.
“He has tried to frame the comments that he made about inner-city folks as just sort of inarticulate ways of — of communicating,” she said. “We’re gonna challenge his assumptions about that, and really raise with him a couple of very specific proposals.”
“Paul Ryan wants to talk about poverty, but he is … hamstrung by a caucus that is not willing to have these conversations. And so he’s sort of walking a tightrope.” Moore continued.
