This chapter establishes that the poor are visible to lawmakers and that poverty is politically salient; thus it is reasonable to expect Congress to represent the interests of the poor. I demonstrate the political visibility of the poor by analyzing the content of all State of the Union addresses and political party platforms since 1960, which constitute the policy agenda of the president and both major parties, respectively. Poverty is frequently and consistently emphasized in both venues, by both Democrats and Republicans. Moreover, the poor are evoked more often than the middle class, or other politically established groups such as seniors and veterans. I also dispel the misconception that it is rational for election-oriented legislators to ignore the poor. The poor constitute a sizeable percentage of many constituencies and vote at notable rates, and failure to address poverty in one’s district also can have undesirable spillover effects for legislators.