[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 8 (Wednesday, February 6, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                  REDUCING POVERTY ALONG WITH WELFARE

  (Mr. CLAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today as an original 
cosponsor of H.R. 3113, the TANF Reauthorization Act of 2001. This bill 
recognizes the need to build on the framework of the 1996 law and 
refocus our efforts to truly fight poverty in our country.
  Although welfare reform ``ended welfare as we knew it,'' it did not 
reduce family poverty. In many cases, it merely moved families off of 
welfare rolls and into the class of working poor.
  As a result, despite a strong economy and a 50 percent decrease in 
welfare caseloads over the last 5 years, family poverty has declined by 
less than 13 percent, and overall poverty has fallen by less than 2 
percent. Families cannot be economically secure without employment that 
pays a living wage.
  As we work on TANF reauthorization, we also need to ensure access to 
Medicaid, food stamps, child care and other transitional work supports 
for those families leaving welfare.
  I support the TANF Reauthorization Act, because it recognizes the 
need to shift the emphasis from reducing welfare rolls to reducing 
child and family poverty.

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