Reps. Oppose Child Support Cuts
REPS. OPPOSE CHILD SUPPORT CUTS
12/14/2005
Five Republican members of Congress have joined U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) in writing the chairmen of the House and Senate budget committees to oppose cuts in federal matching dollars to state child support enforcement efforts.
The letter was signed by two members of the Michigan delegation, Reps. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Livonia) and Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), as well as Reps. Todd Platts (R-Pa.), Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) and Jim Saxton (R-N.J.).
U.S. Rep. JOE SCHWARZ represents the 7th Congressional District of Michigan, which includes parts of Calhoun and Washtenaw counties and all of Branch, Eaton, Jackson, Hillsdale and Lenawee counties. A practicing physician for over 30 years, he previously served in the U.S. Navy, the Central Intelligence Agency, and in local and state government. He currently sits on the House Agriculture, Armed Services and Science committees.
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November 15, 2005
The Honorable Jim Nussle, Chairman
Committee on the Budget
U.S. House of Representatives
309 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Judd Gregg, Chairman
Committee on the Budget
U.S. Senate
624 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairmen Nussle and Gregg:
As Republican members of the House of Representatives, we write to urge you to exclude cuts to child support enforcement in your conference report on the budget reconciliation bill. We believe these cuts will result in more government spending, not less, and that they will result in dramatic reductions in the amount of collected child support, impoverishing honest hard-working parents who are trying to provide their children.
Sections 8319 and 8320 in the House-passed budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 4241, dramatically reduce the federal support for child-support collection at the state and local level. Section 8319 reduces the federal matching rate of reimbursement of child support administrative expenses from 66 to 50 percent over five years. Section 8320 would exclude the use of federal incentive grants to leverage additional matching grants for child support enforcement.
Federal funding of child support enforcement is one of the most cost-effective government programs. A 1999 report commissioned by the Office of Child Support Enforcement at the Department of Health and Human Services found that the federal government spent $4 billion on child support enforcement but saved $5 billion in federal and state costs to other human services programs.
The reasons for this are simple: single parents who receive the child support owed are less in need of federally supported programs such as Medicaid, food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. In short, they are less needy.
As the party of personal responsibility, we must also send a message to deadbeat parents that they cannot avoid their responsibilities to the parents from which they have separated. Failure to provide adequate federal assistance will leave gaping holes in our child support system, letting deadbeat parents know their responsibilities are unlikely to be enforced.
Chairmen Nussle and Gregg, we greatly appreciate your efforts to minimize the impact of budget reconciliation on honest working people and their families. We therefore ask that you take the fiscally responsible approach and exclude from the conference report any language that reduces the amount of federal dollars for the enforcement of child support.
We appreciate your attention to this matter, and we remain,
Very truly yours,
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Joe Schwarz, M.D.
Member of Congress
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Todd Russell Platts
Member of Congress
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Thaddeus McCotter
Member of Congress
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Fred Upton
Member of Congress
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Heather Wilson
Member of Congress
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Jim Saxton
Member of Congress
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