Liz Saville Roberts: “Mr. Speaker, in a year that has been described by many as one of gridlock and finger-pointing and wheel-spinning and…”

“Mr. Speaker, in a year that has been described by many as one of gridlock and finger-pointing and wheel-spinning and even-numbered year partisan rhetoric, we are about to achieve a remarkable accomplishment. This House and the Senate, and now finally the President, have responded to the American public. Simply put, this conference report represents real accomplishment, real welfare reform. We urged the President to sign this conference report. He has. There are good reasons why. Seventy-five percent of the food stamp reforms in this conference report represent the same things that were proposed by this administration. I do not care whether we are talking about budget savings, the work requirement, the program simplification, the tougher penalties for fraud and abuse, or keeping the program at the Federal level as we go through the welfare reform transition. We have tried to work with the administration. We have done that. The President will sign the bill. Mr. Speaker, this road has not been easy. We have been working in this House for 18 months.”