Nancy L. Johnson: “Twelve days, 12 days. In 12 days, the welfare reform legislation expires. Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious matter.…”

“Twelve days, 12 days. In 12 days, the welfare reform legislation expires. Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious matter. This House passed reauthorization of the welfare reform legislation on May 16. The Senate has not acted. We have 12 days, yet welfare reform has been an unprecedented success. Never have we passed a reform of a program that has resulted in a decline in child poverty. This bill has resulted in the largest decline in child poverty ever, and in not just 1 year but in consecutive years; and the most dramatic decline in child poverty has been among African American children. Nearly 3 million children have left poverty since welfare reform, and this is not just because we had a good economy. It is the result of welfare reform that children are leaving poverty, that there has been a substantial reduction in the number of children living in poverty several years consecutively. Secondly, the most exciting and wonderful news about welfare reform is that of the women on welfare, 33 percent are now working.”