Political Quotes

“the plan of the majority to reform the welfare system is weak on work and tough on kids. In my comments, I will talk about the work requirement. We must reform the welfare system. This reform is in fact overdue. The heart of the reform has to be time-limiting benefits and instilling a tough work requirement. There is broad agreement in the Chamber on that point. But the key distinction between the proposals before us this afternoon is that the bipartisan plan has a work requirement which will succeed and the majority's plan cannot. This is a very complex issue. There is nothing all that tough about understanding what it takes to make a work requirement succeed. Individuals presently receiving welfare benefits and not in a workplace must have the training required to achieve vocational skills before they will be employable and can stand on their own as constructive members in the workplace. Folks without jobs just will not be able to get jobs if they do not have job skills and employers. We cannot expect employers to hire folks that offer nothing in terms of what they need in the workplace. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has assessed the two plans on this critical point. They say the work requirement in the bipartisan plan can succeed but the work requirement in the majority's proposal falls $9 to $12 billion short of what it takes to make a work requirement succeed. That is the choice.…”