[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 108 (Monday, July 22, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H8076-H8077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                             WELFARE REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ewing). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Mica] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, there have been comments made in the last few 
days about the proposed reforms that the House passed and the 
Republicans have promoted. The comments have also dealt with the 
welfare reforms that we have passed might hurt children, and we have 
heard comments about some of our reforms in welfare that may in fact, 
the opinion of some folks, say that we may hurt children.
  Mr. Speaker, I would not support legislation that would hurt our 
Nation's

[[Page H8077]]

children. But I would submit, Mr. Speaker, that our current welfare 
system is in fact destroying the lives of millions and millions of 
children. Welfare which in fact was designed to create a safety net has 
in fact trapped millions of children in a pitiful web and their 
families in a pitiful web.
  Let us just look at it for a second. Our current system of welfare 
has destroyed in fact the traditional family structure, so that 
children do not even know the meaning of a home and a family. Our 
current system of welfare has in fact destroyed our children's sense of 
values. Our current system of welfare has kept our children from 
understanding the work ethic, the work ethic that in fact has built 
this Nation.
  In fact, our current welfare system has kept our children from seeing 
a parent work. Our current system of welfare makes a joke of a $5.15 
minimum wage that this Congress passed, when we in fact pay people in 
my State in Florida the equivalent of $8.75 an hour for not working.
  Our current system of welfare has in fact bred crime, crime that has 
destroyed our neighborhoods, crime that in fact kills our children in 
this city, has killed thousands of children over the years, young 
people also trapped in a welfare web. They force our senior citizens 
and all Americans to live in fear and behind bars.
  Welfare in fact has served and this current system has served as a 
magnet to attract illegal aliens into the United States. Our current 
system of welfare pays better benefits to those who really refuse to 
work, and pays better benefits to illegal aliens than we in fact pay to 
some of our senior citizens or to our veterans who served this country.
  I think that if we really care about the welfare of our children, Mr. 
Speaker, if we really care about our senior citizens and if we really 
care about our veterans and we care about the future of this country, 
we should care about passing meaningful welfare reform.
  In fact, we passed a welfare reform that says that welfare should not 
be a way of life, that in fact it should be limited to 2 years and a 5-
year lifetime maximum. It is not severe. We said that they should work 
for some of their benefits, for example, food stamps, put in at least 
20 hours' work.
  We are not talking about disabled or elderly or infirm. We are 
talking about able-bodied Americans. We think we should return power to 
the States and restore a sense of personal responsibility when in fact 
the President's proposal has no real time limits, no real work 
requirements, non-citizens and felons will continue to receive welfare 
and we will have maximum control here in Washington. This is the system 
we have created.
  I ask, what helps children and what hurts children? We have an 
opportunity to help children, to change welfare as we know it, and to 
make a dramatic change in the lives of millions and millions of 
citizens of our country and children in our country who deserve much 
better than the welfare system that they currently have.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge that we adopt our plan, that the President in 
fact not veto this plan for the third time, and that it become in fact 
the law of our land to help our children, not hurt our children.

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