Major Owens: “You estimate, according to your statistics, maybe as many as two-fifths of the people on welfare could get off with just…”

I congratulate my distinguished colleague from California for that fine piece of legislation, and I would like to become a cosponsor. I think it certainly ought to be a component of any welfare reform legislation. Mr. Speaker, I have a…

It is very interesting to note that it appears that welfare would be one of the more efficient Federal programs, in that people who receive assistance, large numbers, do get off and make the attempt after 2 years. Not so with the farm…

So 42 percent of the people do not need to be told, 2 years and you're off, because in less than 2 years they are off.

So we would go down from 5 million families to something like 3 million families.