Welfare Integrity Now for Children and Families Act of 2011

Floor Speech

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Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strident opposition to the underlying bill. I think that it's fairly cynical in these tough economic times when half of all Americans are either in poverty or at the precipice of poverty the Republicans want to impose even more barriers on families trying to access much-needed benefits.

I really don't think that this bill adds to self-sufficiency of families but rather is just more mean-spirited berating of low-income people who are eligible for these benefits, much like the mythical welfare queen or even the food stamp President.

This bill that includes the provision that blocks EBT cards from being used at liquor stores, strip clubs, and casinos, the proponents of this argue that there is no reason to use EBT cards in places like this. But I say it is an issue of universal access. I mean, if you want to stop to buy gas for your automobile and you live in Nevada and you work at one of the clubs or hotels, or you're living in a food desert in Chicago where the closest ATM is a liquor store, what stops people from going to Whole Foods and using the ATM card there and then going to a casino? It is just another effort to berate those people who are in the lower class.

My colleague has already mentioned the additional burden that this imposes on States and financial institutions who will have to reconfigure thousands of ATMs.

My friends on the right side love to use the term ``class warfare.'' And they love to say that we're just trying to pick on the 1 percent of this country.

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