Disapproving Rule Relating to Waiver and Expenditure Authority with Respect to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program

Floor Speech

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 118, the Election-Year Partisan Welfare Resolution. This political stunt--based entirely on untruths--is a futile attempt to distort the Administration's position in order to score political points.

As independent fact-checkers and experts have resoundingly stated, the Administration's proposal to help states move more people from welfare to work does nothing to undermine the 1996 Welfare Reform law. The HHS notice emphasizes that these waivers must improve the employment of welfare recipients. Governors must ensure that their proposals will move at least 20 percent more people from welfare to work. These are the facts.

This strategy, which provides States more flexibility to help get people back to work, is sound policy that cuts red tape and can increase the efficiency of the welfare system. For this reason, two Republican governors requested that HHS offer these waivers. Additionally, the GOP-led House found it unobjectionable enough to pass legislation allowing welfare waivers in 2002, 2003, and 2005.
House Republicans are today wasting precious legislative time that should be spent passing the President's jobs plan, extending middle-class tax cuts, and addressing the fiscal cliff to prevent the disastrous effects of sequestration. Instead, they decided to again put politics before the American people by accusing the Administration of doing something that it is simply not doing.

I urge my colleagues to vote no on this legislation.

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