Political Quotes

“let me make clear what the amendment does so that there is no confusion. If you are able-bodied, single, between the ages of 18 and 50 and you get food stamps, we are saying you have to work 20 hours a week. It is no more complicated than that. If you cannot get a job, you go in a workfare program; 45 out of 50 States have a workfare program. Let me just suggest to the Members, if there is any program that Americans who go to work are frustrated about, it is food stamps. They get frustrated to stand in line at the grocery store and just observe what goes on and the way in which people buy. They think people are trading them, they think there is a lot of fraud involved in the program. The American people, while supporting a food stamp program, they want the food stamp program cleaned up, tightened up, and fixed and reformed. Madam Chairman, what this amendment says is that if you need to get food stamps and you are single, you are able-bodied, you are between the ages of 18 and 50, you have to do some work in exchange for the food stamps. The opposition to this amendment, frankly, is opposed to the very premises that underlie our bill, our welfare bill. Our welfare bill says at some point you have to get trained, you have to go to work. You have to get off the system and get a job. What this amendment says is very simple. If your people at home are frustrated about food stamps, this amendment does not take away food stamps.”