Tom Udall: “we have passed welfare reform out of this body; and as a result, we are putting more people to work. Welfare rolls have…”

“we have passed welfare reform out of this body; and as a result, we are putting more people to work. Welfare rolls have been cut in half in many States. With these successes in mind, now is the time to look at what is working and what is not. One of the biggest problems is how reform is impacting the rural areas of America. In rural America, where there are not many job opportunities, we are telling people to leave their homes and move to the city. In rural New Mexico, many people have been tied to the land and their homes for generations. Forcing people to move is not good public policy, and it is undermining the vitality of rural America. The solution is flexibility for States to design their programs, and the solution is transportation. Transportation should be a key part of any welfare reform. Another issue relates to the jobs people are filling. Is this the kind of employment where an individual can move up the economic ladder and support a family? Many times these are minimum-wage jobs with no real future. So we must provide meaningful job training so that an individual not only gets a job, but that that job opens the doors to better future opportunities. Welfare recipients want to work, but they also want to take care of their children. This is the common dilemma faced by welfare parents, many of whom are single mothers with children.”