Glenn Grothman: “The first thing we should look at when we look at this budget is cost, and this is one program that is going up in cost.…”

“The first thing we should look at when we look at this budget is cost, and this is one program that is going up in cost. We are still in a position in this budget in which we anticipate borrowing about 14 percent. We have the $18 trillion debt. This amendment will reduce the cost in this budget by $300 million, which by itself is nothing to sneeze at, but the real reason for this amendment is the perverse incentives in Section 8 and other tenant- based rental assistance programs. All of these programs are conditioned upon, first, having little or no income. It is wrong to encourage people not to work. As I get around my district, I find so many employers who cannot find employees today, in part, because they feel it pays better not to work. Secondly, and more importantly, this program, like so many other programs designed to help poor people, has a huge marriage penalty associated with it. In order to get this low-income housing, it almost encourages one--it does encourage one--to have children without a mother and father at home. To continue this program or even expand this program to more people is to just destroy the moral fiber of America. This amendment is tailored to not include or not reduce low-income housing for the elderly or disabled. I am aware of the fact that we have people in this country on Social Security maybe making $500 a month, and they may find it very difficult to find anywhere else to live, so I am not chipping away at that part of the program.…”