[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 21, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  DISTORTION OF TRUTH AND PARTISAN BICKERING IN WELFARE REFORM DEBATE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Ewing] is recognized 
during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. EWING. Mr. Speaker, we have heard here this morning quite a bit 
of comment and suggestion about the debate that is going to take place 
on this House floor later today about welfare reform. Unfortunately, I 
would have to characterize it as partisan bickering. It is distortion 
of the truth and partisan bickering.
  I really believe this Nation deserves better than partisan rhetoric, 
half truths, mistruths and bickering. We have a serious problem because 
of our welfare system. Yet the other side of the aisle, who controlled 
this body for so many years, did nothing to reform that system. Now 
that we have a reform plan before us, we have partisan rhetoric, 
bickering, and half truths.
  Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to put America first. Cut out the 
rhetoric, the partisan bickering, the half truths.
  If you have a better proposal, we will be glad to hear it. But it is 
time that we address that system. It is time that we put partisan 
bickering behind us. The American people want and should expect a 
welfare system that works.
  We have a system now that does not ever encourage you to get off. We 
just keep paying. And, yes, some of the reforms are difficult. But why 
were those reforms not brought forth before? The majority of the 
experts on this in this country will tell you it is going to take tough 
reforms to change our welfare system.
  What are we going to be debating here today? Yes, we have to talk 
about what is wrong with our system. Why we have so many people who get 
on AFDC and stay there for years. Why we have families that are on that 
program for generations and do not get off.
  I think if anybody would look at the way the program is set up and 
would see how we dole out the money, they would realize psychologically 
it is a trap for people. It is not something that gives you the helping 
hand up and out.
  That is what we will be debating here today. How do we get the people 
that are on AFDC into paying jobs? How do we give them the self-respect 
so that they can raise themselves and their families up in our society?
  Funding for welfare programs is out of control. It fits right in with 
the need to balance the budget. Of course on the other side, all we get 
when we propose a cut is rhetoric and partisan bickering. They do not 
bring forward cuts to balance the budget. Goodness no, only give the 
Republicans a hard time because they are trying to balance the budget.
  But the welfare costs are going to increase from $325 billion to 
almost $500 billion by 1998. How do we ever balance the budget with 
runaway welfare programs like that?
  We have spent $5 trillion on welfare. The system has not worked. We 
still have people mired in this system. There are some very important 
provisions to the bill that we are going to talk about in the next few 
days, things that are supported by the great number of working American 
taxpayers. When we hear the partisan bickering and the rhetoric from 
the other side, we need to focus on the working American taxpayers who 
are not being represented in that type of debate.
  We want to make a tough work requirement in our welfare system. We 
want to eliminate awards for having children out of wedlock to get more 
welfare. We will have many important elements to debate, those are just 
a few, in the days ahead. But what we do here today is for our 
children, for the next generation, for the long term, for the survival 
of our country.

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