Press Releases

U.S. Representative James P. McGovern
Statement on consideration of the Rule for H.R. 890
March 13, 2013

I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Cole, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Once again, the Republican Majority in the House is proving that they never let facts get in the way of a good press release.

Today's bill takes a sensible, bipartisan piece of legislation and tacks on a partisan political ploy that was used in the last Congress to try and embarrass President Obama.

Instead of bringing a simple, clean extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Republican Majority is continuing a political attack from the last election. And like many of the other political attacks lobbed against President Obama in that campaign, this attack is simply untrue and destined for failure.

Over the last two years, members of the Majority have charged that actions taken by the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the TANF program are an attempt to -let people site at home and collect welfare checks.-

Such charges have been declared false by numerous fact checking organizations including Factcheck.org, PolitiFact and The Fact Checker at The Washington Post.

Furthermore, Ron Haskins, former Republican staff director of the Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee, and one of the chief architects of the 1996 welfare reform law, said that reforms similar to the ones being made by HHS are justified, and added, -I do not think it ends welfare reform or strongly undermines welfare reform. Each state has to say what they will do and how that reform will either increase employment or lead to better employment.-

The merits of the changes implemented by HHS strengthen federal efforts to move Americans from welfare to work. In allowing states the flexibility from rigid TANF requirements, the Administration requires that any changes provide a -more efficient or effective means to promote employment.- In explaining the policy changes, HHS Secretary Sebelius stated, -Governors must commit that their proposals will move at least 20 percent more people from welfare to work compared to the state's past performance.-

Under such requirements, it is impossible to assert that these changes will weaken the federal efforts to move citizens from welfare to work. In fact, in looking at the actual rules even briefly, it is clear that these changes strengthen our federal efforts by allowing for more effective and efficient programs the room to operate at the state level.

M. Speaker, it may be surprising to some watching today's proceedings that the Majority disapproves of the Administration's programmatic changes. For the underlying principle of the changes is the belief that states should have flexibility to implement proven and effective methods for moving Americans from welfare to work.

Yet, today a Republican Majority that often boasts of its commitment to states rights now stands in fierce opposition to that very principle. They find themselves demanding that even when more effective methods for putting Americans to work are available, federal standards dictated from Washington must rule the day.

And the real irony in their argument against the Administration's actions is that the request for flexibility came from a governor - a Republican governor. And not just a Republican governor from a blue state like New Jersey or purple a state like Virginia. No, M. Speaker, the Governor of Utah - one of the reddest states in the nation - is the one who requested this waiver.

I've seen some interesting legislative ju-jitsu on this House floor. One day they're adhering to the Hastert rule; the next day the Boehner rule applies. This Republican Majority legislates by lurching from issue to issue trying to find something that works.

So I can't say I'm surprised that they are declaring themselves against increasing work requirements for TANF recipients as requested by a Republican governor.

The only thing I can chalk it up to is politics. You'd think that at some point the Republican Majority would rather legislate instead of fighting a political battle that was decided four months ago; a political battle they lost and lost badly.

Sadly, that day is not today

If this majority were truly serious about work and employment - about actually reducing the number of people on TANF - then we would be voting on a bill to repeal the sequester. We would be voting on a bill to save the 750,000 jobs that will be lost this year because of these arbitrary and thoughtless cuts.

The reauthorization of TANF isn't controversial. We could move that bill on suspension. But what appears to be controversial to this Republican leadership is putting people to work. What appears to be controversial to this Republican leadership is saving our economy from the devastating sequester cuts. What appears to be controversial to this Republican leadership is responsible governing.

In contrast, M. Speaker, House Democrats have a plan; a plan that House Republicans block time after time after time. Congressman Van Hollen has a balanced sequester replacement - one that will get rid of the arbitrary cuts and replace them with a balanced mix of cuts and revenues; revenues that come from closing tax loopholes that even Republicans like Mitt Romney oppose.

Congressman Van Hollen has come to the Rules Committee four times this year alone in the hope that this Republican leadership - the ones who promised an open house and an open legislative process - would make his amendment in order. And four times now, the Republican leadership in this House has refused to make that amendment in order.

Why, M. Speaker? Why not allow the Van Hollen sequester replacement bill to come to the floor for a vote? Didn't Speaker Boehner promise a more open House? Didn't he say that the House should work its will?

This isn't the way to run a democracy, M. Speaker. This isn't an open and fair process.

That's because this Republican leadership is not about openness. They're not about legislating responsibly. They're about desperate attempts to score cheap political points. That's what they're doing with the sequester. And that's what they're doing with this TANF reauthorization.

M. Speaker, we should defeat this rule and defeat this bill. It's time we put partisan politics aside at least until the next election season and start working for the American people.

I reserve the balance of my time.