“The Obama administration has quietly opened the door for states to seek major changes in how they meet federal welfare-to-work requirements….What started out as just another bureaucratic memorandum drew a swift rebuke from one of the authors of welfare reform, as… Read more

Welfare to work is the cornerstone of a reform passed in 1996 by a Republican Congress and signed by Bill Clinton. The Obama administration on Thursday announced it was taking steps to gut this landmark law. The theory behind welfare reform was people on government assistance not only should work towards getting a job but actually want one. The law is credited… Read more

Washington, DC - Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued "guidance" to States about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that could undermine the critical work focus of welfare reform. The HHS guidance attempts to explain how States can now seek "waivers" of work requirements for welfare recipients for the first time since the TANF… Read more

As shown in the chart below, the policies of President Obama and the Democrats who control Washington have failed the American people, forcing millions onto federal disability benefits and food stamps while at the same time destroying almost half a million jobs.  Despite these facts, the President again insisted today on increasing taxes on American families and… Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) released the following statement in reaction to the June jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor.  A net total of 80,000 jobs were created, and the unemployment rate for June was unchanged, remaining at 8.2 percent.   “Today’s lackluster jobs report is the latest in a string of economic data that… Read more

*UPDATE: NEW TIME* Congressman Geoff Davis (R-KY), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, and Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittees will hold a joint hearing on how certain welfare and tax programs… Read more

June 27, 2012 (Remarks as Prepared) Today’s joint hearing is on disincentives to work built into current welfare and tax credit programs in the U.S.   As we have already heard from Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom, other countries are wrestling with these same issues. Secretary Duncan Smith’s presentation, as well as the… Read more

June 27, 2012 (Remarks as Prepared) Thank you, Chairman Davis.  It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity to hold a joint hearing between our subcommittees. Providing an adequate safety net for Americans who have fallen on hard times is a non-partisan issue in Congress.  It’s something all of us agree on.  As is making sure government does not stand in the way of… Read more

Today, the Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittees on Human Resources and Select Revenue Measures held a joint hearing to explore how the complexities of today’s welfare and tax systems can discourage Americans from looking for and obtaining a job.   The Subcommittees heard from several experts on welfare and work policies, including the Right… Read more

Today, Congressman Geoff Davis (R-KY), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, announced the release of a report prepared at his request by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).  The report, titled “Supplemental Security Income: Better Management Oversight Needed for Children’s Benefits,” reviews caseload increases for… Read more