I do not agree with your thesis that welfare and slavery go hand in hand. What I would like to address, however, is child support.

I agree that we should not punish the children of those mothers, and that $63 a month is not enough----

Noncitizens are not covered by welfare. They have not been, and there are no proposals----

Congresswoman, I was on welfare for 3 years. I do not know what my children would have done without that safety net. Since Republicans propose completely denying all benefits to these families after a short period of time, what do you…

Noncitizens, or illegal aliens are not, noncitizens are. Yes, I believe that is part of our society. If we want to debate a change in the Constitution, let us do that later.

What I will point out is the safety net of welfare, and what we need to change, so we will not keep welfare recipients, particularly single mothers, on welfare for the long term. That is by investing in the short term for long-term…

My bill invests in getting people ready to go to work, getting them off the welfare system.

I was on welfare for 3 years. Your district in New York City has an unemployment rate of 11.7 percent; almost 30 percent of the households are headed by women. How many people on welfare in your district could get off in 2 years?

What I would like to talk to you about right now is why I had to go on welfare in the first place, because I did not have child support, I did not have health care, and right now out of the $47 billion that is owed in court-ordered child…

Mr. Franks, I can tell you as a former welfare mother that the main reason families are on welfare in the first place is because there aren't enough jobs that pay a family wage, and there aren't the support systems like child care and…

I think I have to clear something up. One percent of the Nation got a lot richer while the rest of the country got a lot poorer over the last 12 years.

Mr. Franks, I hope you can raise that child on an average of $63 a month. That is not enough of an incentive to have another child. Let me tell you, welfare receipents have smaller families than the average family in this Nation, a family…