[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 55 (Friday, March 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3740-H3741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              THE DEAL SUBSTITUTE SOLVED THE WELFARE MESS

  (Mr. DURBIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. Speaker, everyone concedes, Democrat, Republican, and 
Independent alike, that the welfare system in America is a failure. My 
political party, the Democrats, should not be so proud that they do not 
concede that fact as well. But the Republicans should not be so 
spiteful or short-sighted as to believe that just ending or getting 
tough on welfare will solve the problem.
  We have got to take people off of welfare and put them to work. That 
is why we had 205 Members, 1 courageous Republican, and all of the 
Democrats on this side of the aisle who voted, voted for the Deal 
substitute last night. Liberals, conservatives came together and said, 
``Let us put people to work.''
  Why does the Republican welfare reform bill fail when it comes to 
work? Because they will not invest money in education, training, day 
care, the obvious things you need to bring someone off welfare.
  What do the Republicans do with the money they save from their 
welfare reform? They put it into a tax cut, a tax cut for the 
privileged few. Now, does that make sense?
   [[Page H3741]] If we are going to solve the welfare mess for good, 
take people off welfare permanently. We need to put them to work. The 
Deal substitute did it. The Republican welfare plan does not.

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