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Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Robert Rector on Obama’s effort to roll back welfare reform.
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The president is trying to roll back welfare reform claiming the authority to waive the key requirement that you must look for work or.
Or would be working to collect benefits joining me now Robert Rector when the architects of the 1996 welfare reform act is now a senior fellow.
At The Heritage Foundation welcome to the show it is great to have you here in a column you called this move illegal how so well.
It's clearly illegal I was deeply involved in writing this welfare reform legislation.
Any particular the core they're legislation is to say that you have to require welfare recipients to work or prepare for worked as a condition for getting aid.
That when he was put in effect drove the -- down by 50%.
Just cause a surge in employment and dramatic drop in child poverty.
And we very explicitly.
In writing this act -- right in the air you absolutely.
Cannot waive these work pro quo.
-- -- -- -- the raw -- there's been attempts did Tim water this down.
To make.
Bed rest.
A substitute for work to make all kinds of things reading Weight Watchers a substitute.
And and that hasn't worked today -- been attempts to deconstruct this they've really gone now where why now.
Well you know it won't be a surprise your listeners to -- -- -- welfare bureaucracies are not the most dynamic energetic institutions in society.
OK and they don't really like challenging standards also they're very left wing and they basically believe a lot of them.
That requiring welfare recipients to do something to get aid is cut is harmful or unjust and so.
They they -- and are pressuring from the left side for these requirements to be waived.
Unfortunately that's going to hurt both the taxpayers and the recipients in the long term.
They they've bureaucracy will use all kinds -- gimmicks to say bed rest his work and so forth.
Up to now -- constrained those things but Obama's just opening the door what he's done is take this law were rigged -- have thrown in the trash can it said.
I am going to rewrite.
The entire work standards of this bill which is -- core the bill.
By myself -- HHS and the legislature of the United States.
Just can't know rural residents circumventing congress doing when everyone's.
Making -- -- is down.
-- I just you know this is such a big decision to make in the close -- of health and human services don't you think it.
And it's transparently.
Illegal this -- bill -- been in effect for fifteen years.
During that entire time there's never been any suggestion that HHS had this.
Huge authority to essentially overturn the law.
And end welfare reform as we know it.
They simply have contempt for the law they have contempt for the legislature.
And if you're -- -- a congressman or are a staffer in congress is -- -- you're trying to write legislation.
What message is this is saying it doesn't matter what you put on the piece of paper it doesn't matter what you pass.
In the congress it doesn't matter if you -- and putting your legislation.
You absolutely can't -- this legislation because they.
Will irrigate to themselves the right to -- -- up thrown in the trash and devise their own policies and I couldn't agree more.
And this to a bit out legislation that's been highly successful by.
Almost anybody's measure I don't hear people criticizing it saying that the roles have gotten bigger render this -- in fact gotten smaller.
And -- are doing better childhood poverty down.
Absolutely.
But that's not the viewpoint of Barack Obama -- -- Obama became president to spread the wealth Barack Obama has increased.
-- to the poor by 30% since getting in office we're now spending close to a trillion dollars a year in cash food housing.
For poor people that's around 20000 dollars for -- 4%.
And that's the modest news because Obama have plans to expand this spending even after the recession ends.
We're going to be spending over twelve trillion dollars.
On welfare in the next decade.
We can't afford it while we -- Afford it and I know we're all that money is coming from it's coming from taxpayers' pockets Robert -- come on the show tonight really appreciate it you where I just a fantastic guests in.
Were pleased to be able to have you want about this topic thank you.
