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Committee on Ways
and Means For Immediate Release Welfare Reform’s Success Should Not be Jeopardized, Herger says WASHINGTON - Today House Democrats introduced a proposal that could roll back some of the successes of welfare reform. Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD) presented a bill today to reauthorize Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a program at the heart of the 1996 welfare reform law. “Welfare reform has been the greatest social policy change in the past generation,” said Chairman Wally Herger (R-CA). “The 1996 reforms resulted in increased work and earnings among low-income families, helped lift more than 2 million children out of poverty, and reduced welfare dependence by more than 50 percent." “Welfare reform has been an unprecedented achievement in American history. It's successes shouldn’t be jeopardized,” Herger added. “I have serious concerns about what the Democrats have proposed today. Many of their provisions would weaken the current law and lead to increased dependence on welfare. Others are apparently designed to increase welfare checks. Those results would turn back the clock to the failed AFDC program we replaced in 1996,” Herger said. "The 1996 welfare reforms are working, and working well. I am wary of changes that would undermine that progress,” said Herger. “As the old saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I hope that both parties can work together and find common ground to secure and enhance welfare reform's success.” Under AFDC the average family stayed on welfare for 13 years and few parents worked. Welfare rewarded dependence and low-income families were trapped in poverty year after year. Wally Herger (R-Ca) is the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee with primary jurisdiction over the TANF program and related features of the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193) that require reauthorization this year. |