[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6266-H6267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                WORKFARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Holding) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say a few words this 
morning about the work that we have been doing here in the House to add 
workfare requirements to the food stamp program.
  President Ronald Reagan once stated: ``The Federal Government 
declared war on poverty, and poverty won.'' That is as true today as it 
was when President Reagan said it.
  Over the last five decades, Congress has spent more than $22 trillion 
of taxpayers' money on government welfare programs. The result: 50 
years later, the poverty rate stands unchanged. If anyone ever needed 
more proof that more government isn't the solution to every problem, 
here is the proof.
  If you were to measure success solely on how much taxpayer money the 
government spends to solve a problem,

[[Page H6267]]

then the government's war on poverty has been wildly successful. After 
all, we now have 13 Federal agencies running more than 80 government 
welfare programs.
  But if we judge success based on how many people have been able to 
rise out of poverty to take care of themselves and their families, 
these government programs have failed.
  So what have we learned after spending $22 trillion? It is simple: 
Workfare helps people stand on their own two feet. It helps people get 
off the welfare treadmill.
  For example, before Congress reformed Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families, also known as TANF, to incorporate a strict work requirement, 
there were 4.9 million families on the welfare rolls. Now, thanks to 
workfare reforms, we have seen 3.3 million families rise out of welfare 
dependence. That is a success.

                              {time}  1015

  In 2014, when Maine began enforcing workfare for able-bodied adults 
without dependents who are receiving food stamps, the Maine caseload 
decreased by 80 percent within months.
  The simple requirement that able-bodied adults without dependents 
should work in order to receive welfare benefits, paired with job 
search assistance and training opportunities, works. It gets people out 
of welfare and into the workforce.
  We have learned that it makes a profound difference in people's lives 
when they understand that welfare is not meant to be a handout but, 
actually, a hand up.
  Now, we need to apply these lessons about the benefits of workfare to 
more government welfare programs like food stamps and housing. That is 
especially important today because, with the economy growing, thanks to 
tax reform, job openings recently hit a record high of 6.6 million, 
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By taking a stand for 
workfare requirements, we now have an opportunity to move millions of 
Americans from reliance on welfare to work and financial independence.
  I commend the House for passing a farm bill that includes a strong 
workfare requirement for able-bodied adults without dependents. We have 
opened the door to welfare reforms that will help put people on the 
road to self-reliance, and I encourage my colleagues to build on this 
foundation and continue to stand up for workfare instead of welfare.

                          ____________________