director shaun donovan and h.u.d. secretary hiewlan -- julian castro have often pointed out to our subcommittee that the single biggest predictor of a child's opportunities and even that child's life expectancy is the zip code of the community where the child grows up. federal programs have certainly helped many of those living in poverty to manage the day-to-day hardships that they face, but the fact is that these programs have failed to achieve their promise of breaking the cycle of poverty that that has trapped to many families. we should not accept such outcomes here in the land of opportunity. so, mr. president, our bipartisan legislation proposes a fresh approach that is aimed at equipping both parents and their children with the tools that they need to succeed and to become self sufficient. it marks an important first step toward reevaluating our approach to poverty-reducing programs and encouraging innovative, more effective uses of tax dollars. encouraging programs that allow us to tailor them to the needs of