[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    DISAPPOINTMENT WITH WELFARE BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Longley). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 4, 1995, the gentlewoman from California [Ms. 
Woolsey] is recognized during morning business for 3 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, as the only Member of Congress who has been 
a single, working mother on welfare, I am very disappointed by the 
welfare plan that House Republicans approved last week.
  I am disappointed because we had a real opportunity to fix our broken 
welfare system, and instead, House Republicans approved a plan that 
guts the system and shreds the safety net for 15 million children. The 
same safety net that enabled my family to get back on our feet 27 years 
ago.
  As someone who came to Congress to improve the lives of our children 
and families, defending them from attacks by House Republicans is not 
the way I intended to spend my time.
  Poor women and their children did not sign on the dotted line of the 
contract on America, but they are certainly in line to suffer its 
disastrous consequences.
  The bill does nothing, absolutely nothing, to prepare welfare 
recipients for jobs that pay a livable wage.
  There is no job training. There is no education. And while the 
Republicans have put some money toward child care, following intense 
pressure from the Democrats, there is still not nearly enough.
  And, their bill literally takes food out of the mouths of our kids.
  In my district alone, Marin and Sonoma Counties in California, almost 
7,000 school children will be denied a school meal.
  I have only one thing to say about their plan to wreck child 
nutrition programs:
  ``States don't get hungry, children do.''
  And, starving our children is not the solution to the welfare mess.
  I am also disappointed that Chairman Henry Hyde and I were not given 
the opportunity to offer our amendment to federalize child support 
collection. We believe that federalization is the best way to collect 
outstanding child support, and we will continue our bipartisan effort 
to make sure children receive the support they are owed.
  Mr. Speaker, the choice comes down to this: We either punish families 
because they are poor, or, as was the case with my family, we invest in 
them so they can get off welfare permanently.
  As this bill moves to the Senate, it is essential that harsh and 
punitive measures in the House welfare bill be removed. We can get 
families off welfare without punishing women and children. We can 
produce a welfare bill that is worthy of widespread bipartisan support.

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