Political Quotes

“there's no small amount of irony that just one week after Congress reinstated welfare for some of the largest agricultural interests in this country in the farm bill, the Bush Administration and Republican leadership in the House are imposing new burdens on the poorest and most vulnerable of our citizens. This Welfare Bill denies states the ability to use their own approaches, field-tested and improved by real-world experience, to meet their own citizens' needs. That's why the majority of governors, both Republicans and Democrats, have opposed the approach in the Republican Welfare Bill. As the national unemployment rate has increased, Oregon has had the highest rate in the country. Welfare reform is no longer propped up by a full-employment economy, and moving from welfare to work has become much more difficult. The Administration and Republican leadership bill offers a rigid, designed-in-Washington, one size fits all approach. Instead, we should focus on supporting what works: flexibility for the states, and total support for families through a combination of work experience, training, education and child care. I support the substitute offered by my colleague, Ben Cardin, because it meets our goals, and supports efforts in the State of Oregon. Instead of unfunded mandates, the substitute increases flexibility and encourages real work.”