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News
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 5, 2002 |
CONTACTS:
Dave Schnittger or Scott Galupo Telephone: (202) 225-4527 |
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Workforce Committee Republicans Oppose Calls to Weaken Successful Welfare Reform Law WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rejecting Democratic suggestions that the successful 1996 welfare reform law should be weakened, House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) and 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) today highlighted the significant decrease in poverty that resulted from the 1996 reforms and expressed strong support for President Bush’s efforts to strengthen the legislation. Boehner and McKeon issued the following joint statement: “Those who suggest that money alone is sufficient to help lift people out of poverty ignore the simple reason for the impressive reductions in poverty and welfare caseloads we’ve seen over the past five years: the 1996 welfare law tied welfare benefits to real work requirements, a reform that changed the whole culture of the program. “President Bush has offered a proposal to strengthen current law and put even more Americans on the path to self-sufficiency and independence. It would combine real work with programs that help welfare recipients advance, an approach that will lead to even more reductions in poverty and improvements in child well-being. “This can’t be achieved by simply increasing the amount of money we spend - financial resources must remain tied to strong work requirements. If we water down the current welfare law, we will turn back the clock on the unprecedented gains we’ve made since 1996. And that would harm our society’s most vulnerable members.” According to the most recent Census figures, there are 4.2 million fewer people living in poverty today than in 1996, when Congress enacted the landmark reform law that insisted that welfare recipients work for benefits. Furthermore, 2.3 million fewer children live in poverty today, with the greatest gains among African-American children. And the poverty rate of single mothers is at its lowest point ever. As various studies have shown -- including a National Center for Policy Analysis report released Monday -- the success of the 1996 law is attributable to far more than just a healthy economy. During other periods of economic productivity in the 1960s and 1980s, welfare caseloads actually increased. # # # # # |