Steve Southerland: “The numbers don't lie. America's welfare system is broken. Food stamp benefits have tripled in the past decade. There…”

“The numbers don't lie. America's welfare system is broken. Food stamp benefits have tripled in the past decade. There are more Americans living in poverty today than when the war on poverty was launched a half century ago. Instead of incentivizing work, we are reinforcing the same government dependency and cyclical poverty that we all wish to eliminate. It is clear that an important variable has been missing from America's antipoverty equation, and that is the element of work. History has proven that work is the surest way to empower able-bodied Americans to advance from welfare to self-sufficiency. When a Republican-controlled Congress and a Democrat President joined together to pass welfare reform requiring work, the results were dramatic. Nationwide, welfare rolls dropped by 67 percent. In my home State of Florida, the number was higher--approximately 85 percent. Work participation by never-married single moms and household earnings skyrocketed. Child poverty rates plummeted. This true bipartisan success story is what my amendment is based upon. My amendment empowers the States to require work for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits. We apply the same sensible work preparation, job training, and community service activities that are at the heart of welfare reform. Our plan is endorsed by several States' Human Services Secretaries who approached us because they understand how important work can be for individuals truly in need.…”