Max Baucus: “We are here today to reauthorize the 1996 welfare reform law. The 1996 law has actually worked pretty well. I think all…”

“We are here today to reauthorize the 1996 welfare reform law. The 1996 law has actually worked pretty well. I think all commentators would agree with that statement. In fact, it has worked much better than people thought it would work. It is not broken. It is not broken at all. And I think we need to guard against 'fixing' something that is not broken. You know the old saying: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' I think that applies to the 1996 welfare statute. As we go forward, we might ask ourselves whether we might do better simply extending the existing 1996 law. Yes, we could make some modifications. We would increase, for example, funding for child care to help parents get to work. But as the Senate considers proposed changes, we might ask whether it would be better to stick with the 1996 act. The House of Representatives has made, frankly, some pretty dramatic changes--'fixes' to a program that many of us believe is not broken.”