TANF Emergency Response and Recovery Act of 2005
TANF EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RECOVERY ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - September 08, 2005)
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Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in support of this legislation for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, indeed, the neediest families.
We are witnessing right now how the national principle in America plays out. If there is an earthquake in California, the rest of the American family comes to the assistance of those in need. If there is a hurricane in the gulf, the rest of the American family helps those in need. If there is a blizzard in New England, the rest of the American family comes to their assistance.
In fact, this legislation makes good initial progress in adjusting the TANF program to the needs of families affected by Hurricane Katrina. But it does not get us all the way there, and we know that. It does make a respectable first step.
It provides a 3-month extension of TANF funding for the entire country and allows States to receive advanced payments. It also includes a provision to increase fiscal year 2006 funds for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama by 20 percent. It alleviates some of the strain on neighboring States. Let me say a good word about those citizens across the country who have reacted so favorably to those in need in other States. It also provides an opportunity to extend in the future a discussion at least about the whole notion of unemployment benefits. I think that is going to be terribly important as well.
More broadly, we are going to have to examine the safety net programs to make sure they are poised to catch the families before they fall even more, especially in the areas of unemployment benefits, child care assistance, and foster care. This bill, while silent on those issues, I know will be addressed in coming days and weeks.
Let me say something else as well. The reason we should have kept the surplus we had as a cushion was for three reasons: international conflict, in which we are engaged in two wars; a devastating natural disaster like this hurricane; and what is surely going to be the need in the near future to help those families who find themselves in a horrific situation through no fault of their own. That is the reason the surplus should have been maintained. That is the reason there should have been a cushion that was kept, rather than what we will do now by going off budget for many proposals down the road.
So we all stand in support of our friends and family members in this stricken area of the country. It does, as I indicated a moment ago, highlight the national principle that makes America special.
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