Rep. McKinley Votes to Preserve Work Requirements for Welfare Programs

Statement

Today, Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. joined an overwhelming majority of his House colleagues in voting to block the Obama Administration's effort to weaken work requirements for welfare.

"Since Congress passed and President Clinton signed into law landmark welfare reform in 1996, the number of people receivin... g assistance dropped by 57 percent," said Rep. McKinley. "Now the Obama Administration is trying to waive work requirements, which are key to the success of welfare reform."

"This resolution blocks the Obama Administration from implementing this controversial waiver scheme," said Rep. McKinley. "We cannot allow President Obama to circumvent Congress and roll back critical features of welfare reform. We need to preserve these crucial reforms that have helped lift millions of American families out of poverty and into the workforce."

"This is yet another example of the Obama Administration's overreach and represents an unconstitutional "end around' the legislative process," McKinley added.

The Obama Administration issued the directive in July allowing states to seek a waiver on work requirements for welfare. According to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, when a similar waiver requirement for food stamps was waived by President Obama, the number of adults on food stamps doubled.

Source