Glenn English: “when I came to Congress, the welfare system was in crisis--a record number of families were on welfare, dependency on…”

“when I came to Congress, the welfare system was in crisis--a record number of families were on welfare, dependency on the system was enormous and caseloads were rising. But in 1996, in the face of fierce ideological resistance, we reformed the welfare program, establishing work standards and setting time limits while giving states the flexibility to implement them in a way that suited their local situation. We did this after a 30-year period when the Democratically controlled House had spent $5 trillion of taxpayer money on the welfare program, which resulted in skyrocketing poverty rates and welfare cases. It was compassionate conservatism--and it was marvelously successful. The results speak for themselves: Caseloads have fallen by 60 percent to their lowest levels since 1965 and 9 million recipients have gone from welfare to work--from dependency to independence. In Pennsylvania alone, more than 319,000 people were graduated from the caseloads, working their way out of the welfare system. This change is not only extraordinary, but unprecedented. It was clear that the welfare system was the biggest, most costly domestic policy failure of our time.”