Denny Rehberg: “in 1996 Congress acted to fundamentally reform America's welfare system from the broken entitlement program it had…”

“in 1996 Congress acted to fundamentally reform America's welfare system from the broken entitlement program it had become into the streamlined temporary assistance program we now have today. Since the historic Republican-led reforms of 1996, more than 3 million children have been lifted out of the depths of poverty and given the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential. Welfare rolls have been reduced by more than 60 percent nationally, and by more than 50 percent in my home State of Montana. There are those who argued 7 years ago that reforming welfare would put children out on the street. History has proven them wrong, and they are wrong now to use the same negative rhetoric. Welfare reform is about reawakening the spirit of the American family that has only known the disappointment of a government handout. Congress must act to keep the American entrepreneurial spirit alive, to invest in our children's future, and to secure the social and economic backbone of the great American experiment in democracy. I urge Members to vote yes on welfare reform.”