This week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) joined Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other Republican leaders at House of Help City of Hope – an alcohol and drug treatment center in our nation’s capital – to lay out our pro-growth plan that helps lift people out of poverty and improve their lives.
As part of “A Better Way,” the plan puts forward commonsense conservative alternatives to the failed anti-poverty policies of the past. As news reports highlight, the plan:
“Calls for rewarding those who are working or looking for work, tailoring benefits to fit people’s needs, improving education and developing skills, making it easier for families to save money for retirement and demanding that aid programs show results.” – The Hill
“Centers on giving community groups ‘on the front lines of fighting poverty’ more power, rather than relying on the federal government.” – Washington Examiner
“Includes proposals to prevent people from falling into poverty and to help lift them out of it.” – Roll Call
“Seek(s) to expand work requirements for those receiving federal benefits, to give states and local jurisdictions a greater role in administering those benefits, to better measure the results of federal programs for the poor, and to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse.” – Washington Post
“Provide(s) themes that will guide [Republicans’] approach to reducing poverty, including improving job-readiness while encouraging able-bodied adults to work.” – Opportunity Lives
Members praised the plan for its focus on moving more Americans off of welfare and successfully into the workforce:
“The House is presenting new ideas to finally tackle poverty, which has kept so many people from reaching their full potential.” – House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
“Instead of giving handouts, our welfare system needs work incentives and a strong partnership program to help every American achieve their potential.” – Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)
“We can improve more lives by implementing work requirements, incentivizing strong families, allowing portability in housing assistance and combating fraud and unaccountability so programs better serve those who need them.” – Republican Study Committee Chairman Bill Flores (R-TX)
And as policy experts wrote:
“It is clearer than ever that the freshest thinking around antipoverty policy today comes from conservatives. […] the blueprint constitutes an impressive and distinctive approach to poverty reduction and opportunity promotion.” – Scott Winship, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
“[House Republicans’ blueprint] recognizes that restoring the promise of the American dream requires more than tinkering with one or two programs; instead, it requires a complete overhaul of the federal government’s welfare, workforce, and education programs.” – Neil Bradley, Conservative Reform Network
“The report does not abandon old truths and successful approaches, and properly focuses on work as the key to escaping poverty. […] it shows a desire to make targeted improvements to government’s efforts rather than take on more risky approaches.” – Robert Doar, American Enterprise Institute
As Chairman Brady said at the rollout event:
“We’re here because we care. We’re serious about combating poverty in America, and we’re serious about helping million of Americans earn their success, and that’s what we’re talking about. […] And there’s no hope for change, unless this government changes, unless we do things differently.”
CLICK HERE to read “A Better Way” and learn more about what Republicans are doing differently.