Martin Sabo: “Madam Chairman, today is a sad day for those of us who support real welfare reform. The Republican bill fails to meet…”

“Madam Chairman, today is a sad day for those of us who support real welfare reform. The Republican bill fails to meet the goal of moving people from the welfare dole to the working rolls. It fails to protect children from the ravages of stark poverty. This bill is tough on kids and weak on work. The American people want welfare reform that replaces dependency with the dignity that is earned from working for a living. At the same time the American people want us to protect innocent children who have no means to take care of themselves, and this bill moves in the opposite direction on both counts. The Republicans' Congressional Budget Office says that the Gingrich welfare plan underfunds the work program by $10 billion, by $10 billion, making it impossible to take people from welfare to work. It builds in the failure of getting people to work. Under this bill's food stamp block grant plan more than 1 million children in this country could be forced into poverty. One million. It is outrageous. This bill is an unforgivable assault on our Nation's values and what we are about. Fortunately, today, we have a viable and a fair substitute, a bipartisan plan, Tanner-Castle, I repeat bipartisan, that puts people to work without throwing more kids into poverty. It has strong work requirements and the needed funds to make them work.”