[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4735]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         BUILDING ON PAST SUCCESSES TO CONTINUE WELFARE REFORM

  (Mr. WICKER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. Speaker, I want to take my 1 minute to talk about the 
Welfare Reform Act of 1996, one of the greatest public policy successes 
in half a century. This body will soon have the opportunity to continue 
the remarkable progress made over the past 6 years when we reauthorize 
the law.
  Our Nation has seen a dramatic 56 percent drop in welfare caseloads 
as more families have broken the cycle of poverty and replaced welfare 
checks with paychecks. Welfare rolls are at their lowest levels since 
1965, and more than 2 million children have been rescued from poverty, 
a remarkable success.
  The reauthorization will allow us to build on the principles which 
have helped more Americans achieve self-reliance. It contains a strong 
work requirement, continues the focus on protecting children, and 
strengthening families, and gives more States flexibility.
  Mr. Speaker, the emphasis on work and strengthening families in this 
new initiative represents a winning formula to put more needy Americans 
on the path toward a brighter future.

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