House Bill Raises Welfare Work Requirement

[Judi Lynn]

House Bill Raises Welfare Work Requirement

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 27, 2005; Page A10

The House has included a major restructuring of the nation's welfare system in its massive budget cutting bill, which would substantially increase the hours of work, training and community service the poor would have to perform to qualify for assistance.

President Bush has sought the changes for nearly four years but has been unable to get them through the Senate. Now Republicans have slipped them into a voluminous bill designed to save nearly $50 billion over five years by imposing new costs on Medicaid recipients, squeezing student lenders, cutting federal child support enforcement, narrowing eligibility for food stamps and trimming agriculture subsidies.

Those cuts have been the focal point of debate over the bill, while 71 pages of the 830-page measure that are devoted to changes in welfare have gone largely unnoticed. Administration and House Republican officials say such budget bills -- which are easier to pass because they cannot be filibustered in the Senate -- are designed to make necessary but difficult changes to entitlement programs such as welfare.

But Democratic lawmakers and governors from both parties say such broad changes should be debated and voted on separately.

"What you're seeing is a way for them to hide the issue," said Rep. Jim McDermott (Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means subcommittee that has jurisdiction over welfare. "It's a familiar technique for issues that can't be passed otherwise."
(snip/...)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/26/AR2005112601034.html

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Posted on Sat, Nov. 26, 2005
White House official seeks welfare changes
KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The administration's point man on tightening welfare requirements says he senses that Congress is closer to making significant changes to the program than at any time during President Bush's tenure.

"I can almost taste it," said Wade Horn, an assistant secretary within the Health and Human Services Department.

Democratic lawmakers don't believe Horn is correct, but say that if he is, the overhaul will occur without bipartisan support.

Bush has proposed that participants work longer hours to maintain eligibility for cash assistance and other forms of aid. He also wants to raise the bar for states by requiring that a greater percentage of their welfare population find work - or the states risk financial penalties.
(snip/...)

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/13261695.htm
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[Blaq Dem]

1. What? No stricter requirements for corporate welfare???

Wow, those republicans sure knows how to stick it to the po' folks. Little do they know that when a mother receives her food stamps, that money circulates into the local economy. But when a corporations gets money, it doesn't necessarily hires the poor mother on welfare but gives it way to top executives in form of bonuses. Rich people don't have to spend any additional money. They can just stick in their pockets and demand bigger tax cuts. Poor people have to eat EVERY day.

[Giant Robot]

2. But but but

I thought slavery had ended 140 years ago.

Seriously can these fuckers be any more cruel? Guess what? A lot of people on public assistance work! And they work at Wal Mart. And they can pay their bills because they get paid peanuts! God I hate it when they do crap like this!!!!!! :mad:

Hey here's an idea. What about the single mom, because hey neat fact, most recipients of public assistance are women, who has to work to take care of her kids? Is this bill written so that she will be provided extra money for day care since she will have to work longer to get her food stamps or WIC like normal? My guess is no. GRRRRRRRRR!

[mbperrin]

3. Hmmmm....maybe if they quit allowing corporations to work

prison inmates for 37 cents an hour, that might create a bit of a demand for work "out here", but what am I thinking?

Congress has had 25 raises in the last 25 years, minimum wage workers have gotten $1 an hour in the same time frame. After all, those who really need it must get it, right?

Well, Ok, then.

[WhiteTara]

4. some how I wish Wade Horn could taste

the hopelessness he is trying to force on the parents, especially single parents.

This God the Father crap has got to go! I am sick and tired of mean daddy. He has been on a drunken rampage for the past 8 F*cking THOUSAND years! Someone get the prozac and give him LOTS of it.

Until the God the Mother is allowed on the scene, there can be no balance. Bright Blessings from the Goddess is what we need.

[Maggie_May]

5. After the cuts they made

they gave themselves a raise. You don't hear about that in the news.

[Deja Q]

6. How about making companies keep jobs in the US?

Otherwise it's going to get incresingly hard to maintain those big macho quotas there, *.

[HockeyMom]

7. Low skilled jobs ARE part time

Do they pay attention to what is going on with WalMart, Starbucks, not to mention McD's, Home Depot, etc. These place hire part timers, so they don't pay out benefits. They have DIFFERENT employees working the morning shifts, afternoon shifts, and evening shifts.

These people are going to be spending more than half their wages in gas driving from a McD's morning shift, to a Home Depot afternoon shift, to maybe even an evening WalMart shift.

Why did our "intellectually gifted" President think that that woman in Texas had 3 jobs? Because she wanted to work 120 hours a week?