Mike Thompson: “Mr. Chairman, since the implementation of TANF, California has tripled the number of welfare recipients who are today…”

“Mr. Chairman, since the implementation of TANF, California has tripled the number of welfare recipients who are today working. Cash aid has decreased by 45 percent and caseloads have declined more than 40 percent. H.R. 4 will not help California or any other State continue to make such progress. The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) and the others who have worked on this substitute are offering a good measure. The substitute calls for tough, real work requirements that move welfare recipients into meaningful employment. The substitute gives States flexibility to create programs that prioritize efficiency over the majority's one-size-fits-all model. The substitute gives States the resources needed to enact these new tougher mandates, unlike the majority's bill that provides $11 billion in unfunded mandates that no State can afford. It will cost California alone $2.5 billion over the next 5 years. The substitute balances tough work requirements with financial resources that are necessary to move people into working jobs. Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to support the Cardin-Woolsey-Kind substitute.”