Press Releases

U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) released the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services issued “guidance” that would effectively allow states to seek a “waiver” from the work requirements critical to the success of the 1996 welfare reform:  

In 1996, the Republican Congress worked with President Clinton to fix a broken welfare system. This joint effort reduced poverty and helped millions of Americans move off government assistance and into a job. Regrettably, the bipartisan achievement is now being eviscerated by President Obama’s partisan agenda. The president’s plan to gut the work requirements at the center of welfare reform is both unprecedented and contrary to the law’s intent. This executive overreach will lead to more dependency and less hope for those who need assistance.

This is not the first time the president has put politics before reform. Just last summer, the president launched a controversial waivers scheme that coerced states to adopt his education agenda. His unilateral action exacerbated the challenges facing America’s classrooms and undermined congressional efforts to advance lasting reform. It is deeply disappointing the president prefers to campaign against Congress rather than work together on solutions that will help move our country forward and put people back to work. With millions of Americans struggling in the Obama economy, our nation can no longer afford this lack of leadership.

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