House Democrats, Republicans trade barbs over welfare program
- 05/18/10 05:50 PM ET
The e-mail channels lit up Tuesday afternoon as House Democrats and Republicans sparred over a proposal to cut a temporary program that provides help for needy families.
At the center of the criss-crossing e-mails is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund, which Republicans argue is a waste of money and Democrats say is providing much-needed assistance to families while also creating jobs during the recession.
Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announced today that the $2.5 billion program led online voting — 29 percent of 280,000 total voters — on the new YouCut initiative, a Republican effort asking Americans to vote on what spending they think should be eliminated. Cantor said he will call for an up-or-down vote on Thursday.
"Not only is the new program unaffordable and duplicative, it undercuts welfare reforms made in the mid-1990s that saved taxpayers billions of dollars," Cantor said in a statement.
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) in turn accused Republicans of spreading incorrect information about the temporary program, arguing that it doesn't provide incentives to states to increase the number of people on welfare or allow states to increase the number of people receiving assistance without requiring people to engage in find work.
Republicans are "so out of touch that they have deceived people about a program that Republicans outside the Beltway think is a good thing," said McDermott, chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support. "The recession has caused unprecedented need for many struggling families with children" and the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund "helps states meet that demand but is also responsible for directly funding 185,000 jobs. I can think of few ideas Republicans have floated that have been as devoid of compassion and commonsense as this one."
McDermott includes quotes from governors and state officials praising the program for helping to speed the economic recovery and providing summer job possibilities for young people who face greater challenges in finding employment.
The program, which was included in the stimulus bill, is slated to expire September 30. But it has broad backing on and off Capitol Hill to extend the program for another year.
The e-mail highlighted the failure of a jobs program in Florida and questioning what happens to subsidized jobs once federal money runs out.
At the center of the criss-crossing e-mails is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund, which Republicans argue is a waste of money and Democrats say is providing much-needed assistance to families while also creating jobs during the recession.
Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announced today that the $2.5 billion program led online voting — 29 percent of 280,000 total voters — on the new YouCut initiative, a Republican effort asking Americans to vote on what spending they think should be eliminated. Cantor said he will call for an up-or-down vote on Thursday.
"Not only is the new program unaffordable and duplicative, it undercuts welfare reforms made in the mid-1990s that saved taxpayers billions of dollars," Cantor said in a statement.
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) in turn accused Republicans of spreading incorrect information about the temporary program, arguing that it doesn't provide incentives to states to increase the number of people on welfare or allow states to increase the number of people receiving assistance without requiring people to engage in find work.
Republicans are "so out of touch that they have deceived people about a program that Republicans outside the Beltway think is a good thing," said McDermott, chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support. "The recession has caused unprecedented need for many struggling families with children" and the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund "helps states meet that demand but is also responsible for directly funding 185,000 jobs. I can think of few ideas Republicans have floated that have been as devoid of compassion and commonsense as this one."
McDermott includes quotes from governors and state officials praising the program for helping to speed the economic recovery and providing summer job possibilities for young people who face greater challenges in finding employment.
The program, which was included in the stimulus bill, is slated to expire September 30. But it has broad backing on and off Capitol Hill to extend the program for another year.
The battle didn't end there.
Cantor's office sent out a response calling McDermott's comments "defensive" and "angry" saying "it's only reasonable that state officials would want to continue to get additional federal money."The e-mail highlighted the failure of a jobs program in Florida and questioning what happens to subsidized jobs once federal money runs out.
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