Victor Fazio: “I argue that the Castle-Tanner bill really does the job of providing the States with the necessary funding to put…”

“I argue that the Castle-Tanner bill really does the job of providing the States with the necessary funding to put welfare recipients to work. The Republican leadership bill, as drafted, falls $12.9 billion short of the funding necessary to put people to work. The CBO, which is headed by a person appointed by the Republican leadership, has done a study. I refer Members to this chart, because CBO confirms that work requirements under this bill, the Republican leadership bill, are empty promises. CBO concludes that most States would fail to meet the work requirements. They assume most States would simply accept penalties rather than implement the work requirements. In other words, the Republican bill places such a tremendous unfunded mandate on States that they would not even try to comply with the requirements to put welfare recipients to work. Castle-Tanner provides States with the flexibility to design work programs that are appropriate for their local communities.”