Mike Levin: “welfare reform is essential. It is about getting people off welfare into work and helping, not hurting, the child; in a…”

“welfare reform is essential. It is about getting people off welfare into work and helping, not hurting, the child; in a word, tough on work, protective of children. That is the American value. When this process started last year, the Republican proposals were weak on work, tough on kids, not providing any additional resources to States to help move welfare recipients into work, causing people to go without health care if they went to work, providing no or inadequate day care for children, hitting severely handicapped kids, and raising taxes on low- to moderate-income working families. The Republicans have moved away in some areas from extreme or inadequate positions, but they have considerably further to go. Castle-Tanner is much stronger on work and providing resources to the States to get people to work, in requiring States to use Federal moneys for welfare to work, not for other purposes, and in making sure that if a recession hits, people who want to work or kids who are innocent bystanders do not get hurt. Taking food from kids is not welfare reform, whether the parent is a citizen or other legal resident. The Republican bill does far too much of this. Tanner-Castle is more protective of children. Tanner-Castle has been the only bipartisan effort in the House. We need more, not less of such effort. The only way to achieve more is to vote for Tanner-Castle and against the Republican bill.”