[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                WORKFARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Comer). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Speaker, we must reform our Nation's welfare 
programs.
  President Ronald Reagan once remarked: ``The Federal Government 
declared war on poverty, and poverty won.'' Unfortunately, his 
assessment remains all too accurate to this day. Over the past five 
decades, the United States Government has spent more than $22 trillion 
on welfare, only to see the poverty rate remain unchanged.
  Mr. Speaker, to solve this problem, we must first properly diagnose 
the cause. Too often, Washington's prescribed cure is yet another 
government program or increased spending on existing programs. However, 
we already have 13 Federal agencies running more than 80 Federal 
programs that provide food, housing, healthcare, job training, 
education, energy assistance, and cash to low-income Americans. And we 
should not gauge the success of our war on poverty by how much is 
spent, but on how many people are actually able to get out of poverty. 
That is the point.
  The root cause of the failed ``war on poverty'' is that the structure 
of our current welfare system entrenches a culture of dependency rather 
than promoting a path to self-sufficiency.
  Overwhelming evidence supports what should be a commonsense 
conclusion: that there is a direct correlation between work and 
poverty. For example, before Congress reformed the Temporary Assistance 
to Needy Families program to incorporate a strict work requirement, 
there were 4.9 million families on the rolls of this program. Two 
decades later, thanks to these workfare reforms, we have seen 3.3 
million families come off of the welfare rolls. Now, that is a success.
  In my home State of North Carolina, reforms to unemployment insurance 
benefits led an increase in both employment and labor force 
participation. Later research has found that Congress' decision in 2013 
to not extend Federal unemployment benefits resulted in 1.8 million new 
jobs nationwide the following year.
  Furthermore, in 2014, when Maine began enforcing strict work 
requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents receiving food 
stamps, their caseload decreased by 80 percent within months. This 
requirement was paired with substantial job search assistance and job 
training opportunities.
  Mr. Speaker, we should apply the lessons of these success stories to 
all government welfare programs, particularly food stamps and housing. 
It is imperative that welfare recipients understand that the government 
is not offering a one-way handout, but rather, a two-way deal. We are 
willing to help you, but only if you are willing to help yourself. And 
with the American economy growing, thanks to tax reform, opportunities 
are available.
  Mr. Speaker, job openings recently hit a record-high of 6.6 million 
across the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By 
incorporating education and training, benefit time limits, and strong 
work requirements, we can move millions of Americans from welfare to 
work.
  In addition to fiscal benefits, engaging in workfare increases self-
sufficiency, encourages community engagement, and offers recipients a 
sense of purpose and dignity.
  We have a unique opportunity with this year's farm bill, Mr. Speaker, 
to enact such reforms, and I encourage my colleagues to not be afraid 
to seize on this chance and promote work over welfare.

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