STATEMENT OF EDWARD M. KENNEDY AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON WELFARE REAUTHORIZATION PRIORITIESMay 23, 2002
For Immediate Release Soon the United States Senate will be debating the reauthorization of the welfare law enacted in 1996. We are here today to outline key issues that we believe must be part of that debate. It is time to build on the lessons of the past five years, as we move families from dependence on welfare to independence on a job. Americans want to work. But we cannot throw workers into low-wage, dead-end jobs and expect them to support their families. We cannot force workers into jobs for which they have no skills, and expect them to succeed. While the welfare rolls have declined 53 percent since the 1996 law went into effect, over 31 million Americans – including 12 million children – continue to live in poverty. The most important thing we can do to help these families to stand on their feet is to make work pay. We have an opportunity with the welfare reauthorization bill to give these families hope. That means education and job training, so these families can get the skills they need to succeed in the workplace. It means child care, so parents can be assured that their children will be cared for and nurtured while they are on the job. It means granting these workers the same rights and privileges as all other workers – including protection against discrimination, earning a decent wage, and safety in the workplace. It means fairness to legal immigrants, who contribute so much to our society. The letter we send to our colleagues on the Finance Committee outlines our recommendations for giving families on welfare the help they need to get real jobs. And we look forward to working with our colleagues to give new hope to desperate families. |
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