By Kevin Brady
This is hard to believe, but it's been twenty years since Congress last reformed welfare.
A new report from the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee that I lead confirms the best path forward out of dependence on government is through work -- a job.
Our report found the 1996 reforms championed by Republicans that required work for people on cash welfare were even more successful than earlier thought. They helped more low-income families earn their way out of poverty, and kept them out of poverty even through the recent financial crisis, than people with no work requirement.
Over the last two decades there have been record increases in earnings for single parents and declining dependency on cash welfare. However, poverty is increasing among working age adults without children, a group unaffected by the 1996 law.
These reforms impacted only the cash welfare program TANF. It's time to apply these successes to the nearly 80 other anti-poverty programs that don't appear to be helping Americans climb the economic ladder they deserve.
House Republicans have a clear vision for welfare reform that helps people find jobs, escape poverty and move up the economic ladder. Our 'Better Way to Fight Poverty' is our commitment to solutions that break down barriers to a better life.
As the 1996 welfare reform proves, the way forward must include expecting welfare recipients to work, or be gaining necessary job skills, to receive benefits. Our mission is to transform millions of lives by providing low-income Americans a path out of the poverty trap.
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Each week brings more bad news about how ObamaCare continues to fail ahead of schedule. Staggering monthly price increases on those who need affordable health coverage have been approved by Tennessee's insurance regulators.
Not only will those forced to buy Obamacare plans next year pay more, some price hikes will be more than 60 percent. That's on top of last year's 30% increase!
And don't breathe a sigh of relief because those hikes are in Tennessee. Texans face similar insurance hikes and some local medical groups are already leaving ACA networks that our Texas patients rely on.
Want to see a better idea to provide health care -- a real, credible alternative to the Affordable Care Act? Learn more about the Better Way agenda proposed by House Republicans at better.gop.com. It put patients and your health care needs ahead of Washington's needs.
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I enjoyed a recent local town hall meeting sponsored by AARP of Texas. We discussed my legislation H.R. 711 to repeal and replace the Windfall Elimination Provision, a better way to reform America's costly and complex tax code and the challenges facing the long-term solvency of Social Security.
AARP is leading an initiative called "Take A Stand" to urge Congress to act now to save Social Security which is borrowing more than $70 billion a year just to make sure checks are sent. Because of the retiring baby boomers Social Security will never again break even unless both political parties in Congress and the president act.
I agree it's time to act. My goal is to save Social Security for every generation, once and for all. The Ways and Means Committee is developing new legislation to strengthen Social Security and insure its solvency for the long term. Our seniors deserve it.