[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 92 (Monday, June 3, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4195-H4198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXTENDING TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES PROGRAM AND RELATED
PROGRAMS
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2940) to extend the program of block
grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families and
related programs through September 30, 2019.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2940
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF THE TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY
FAMILIES PROGRAM AND RELATED PROGRAMS THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 30, 2019.
Activities authorized by part A of title IV and section
1108(b) of the Social Security Act shall continue through
September 30, 2019, in the manner authorized for fiscal year
2018, and out of any money in the Treasury of the United
States not otherwise appropriated, there are hereby
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for such purpose.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) and the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs.
Walorski) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2940 is bipartisan legislation that extends the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, TANF, and the Child
Care Entitlement to States, CCES, through September 30, 2019. This
legislation will allow the Department of Health and Human Services to
make on-time payments to States, Tribes, and territories for the fourth
quarter of the fiscal year.
I thank my friend and ranking member, Mrs. Walorski, for her support
of parents and grandparents and for partnering with me to ensure that
there is no disruption in help for families or promised funding to
States.
States depend on Federal TANF and childcare funding to help
struggling parents and grandparents work and to provide basic
necessities for children. Without the funding we are extending today,
States would likely reduce access to childcare assistance,
transportation, and job training, and delay or reduce assistance
families use to buy basics like food, housing, and diapers.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this letter from the bipartisan
leadership of the National Governors Association urging Congress to
quickly enact H.R. 2940.
National Governors Association,
Washington, DC, May 30, 2019.
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Chuck Schumer,
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker of the House, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Kevin McCarthy,
Minority Leader, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer,
Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy:
We write to urge you to support and pass H.R. 2940,
introduced by Chairman Davis and Ranking Member Walorski of
the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family
Support, which would extend the Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) program through September 30, 2019. As
you know, the program funding is currently slated to expire
on June 30, 2019.
TANF is a critical program for states and served 3.1
million recipients, including 1.2 million families in 2018.
TANF provides vital cash assistance, job training, child
care, and other critical services for families and children.
The program provided a total of $16.5 billion in 2018 in
federal dollars for these services for the 50 states, the
District of Columbia, the territories, and American Indian
tribes. States also are required to contribute at least $10.3
billion in state funds per year under the maintenance-of-
effort requirement.
We ask that Congress act quickly and pass H.R. 2940, a
clean TANF extension, and send it to the President for
signature in order to avoid any lapse in funding for states
and to mitigate any adverse impacts to American families.
While continued short-term extensions make it challenging for
states to allocate resources strategically, we look forward
to working with you on a long-term reauthorization bill in
the near future.
Sincerely,
Governor Kate Brown,
Chair, National Governors Association, Health and Human
Services Committee.
Governor Charlie Baker,
Vice Chair, National Governors Association, Health and
Human Services Committee.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in my home State of
Illinois, we use more than half of TANF dollars to provide childcare to
working parents and grandparents, and almost a fourth of it is for
child welfare services to reduce child abuse and neglect. If the
Federal Government fails to make TANF and CCES payments on time, it
will affect our State budget, but it will also harm the most vulnerable
families.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2940, to extend the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, program for another 3
months, because families who use these critical benefits should not be
penalized for the failures here in Washington.
We are here for the 39th extension of TANF because we are once again
unable to move a longer term extension or a reauthorization of this
program.
I certainly hope Democratic leaders in the House will allow Chairman
Davis and me to work with our colleagues on the Ways and Means
Committee in a bipartisan manner to develop a long-term TANF
reauthorization that ensures this program focuses on helping
individuals prepare for, find, and keep good jobs.
At a time when we have 7.5 million job openings and growing demand
for workers that is driving wages up, we not only want every person to
reach their full potential--we need them to.
We have the opportunity to make economic and social gains in ways not
seen in decades so families are better off financially, helping to
improve their overall well-being in the near and long term.
Better wages and stable work bring along a whole host of benefits,
most importantly, the positive impact on children who are spared the
trauma that comes from unrest in the home.
At the root of addressing these challenges needs to be a focus on
human interaction, engagement, support, encouragement, and belief in
the possible, not just assumptions about the probable.
It is time to focus on solving the root causes rather than pushing
complex government ideas that will only address the symptoms.
That is why I, along with more than 50 of my colleagues, have come
forth with a full reauthorization of the TANF program. Our bill, called
the JOBS for Success Act, would return the program's focus to families
by:
[[Page H4196]]
Expecting universal case management so we can rebuild the human
connection and so no one is ignored or left behind in this process;
Holding States accountable for work outcomes, meaning folks can get
and keep a job, and ensuring that dollars go to their families;
Prioritizing households below 200 percent of the poverty line so they
get the services they need to be successful;
Using funds to support and encourage work over the long term, because
we know life is hard, not just when someone is starting a job, but 6
months into the job when the car breaks down or one of life's many
challenges happens; and
Increasing resources available to support childcare to more than $14
billion annually, better utilizing existing funds, and allowing up to
half of a State's annual allocation to be used for childcare.
We all want families to succeed and to achieve their American Dream.
The first step on that bridge out of poverty is getting a job, keeping
a job, and moving through the ranks to higher pay and more benefits.
{time} 1530
Unfortunately, under Democratic leadership, we have yet to see any
proposals to reform or improve this program. And today, we are moving
to the floor without any formal consideration by the committee or
hearings on this bill.
Instead of reaching across the aisle to get things done for the
American people, Democratic leadership is focused on investigating the
President and going after his tax returns. They are proposing new
entitlements that tax low-income workers and subsidize large
corporations. They are passing bills that claim to protect people with
preexisting conditions but, in reality, take away their health
insurance choices. And they are continuing to allow infanticide by
refusing to bring to the floor the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors
Protection Act.
Republicans want to work on bipartisan changes to improve childcare
under TANF, and we have come forward with a viable plan to improve
support for families in need by nearly doubling historic funding
levels.
I know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have the same
desire, and I hope we can find common ground before the next bill comes
to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu).
Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 2940. The bill authorizes the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families program and the Child Care Entitlement to States, which expire
on June 30. These are vital programs that help keep children and
families out of poverty.
TANF provides an important safety net for families, and States use
the money to give very low-income families with children direct cash
assistance, childcare, and work training.
In my home State of California, TANF is critical to so many families.
Administered through the CalWORKs program, California supplements its
Federal TANF programs with its own State dollars to help lift
individuals out of poverty, and it is working.
In Los Angeles County, where my district is located, an additional
71,000 children would be living in poverty and 31,700 children in deep
poverty without TANF. Altogether, that would be over 100,000 more
children living in poverty.
California sees the value in TANF and is supplementing its TANF
dollars with increased State investments for cash assistance and
restoration of cost-of-living adjustments.
Reauthorization of Federal funds is key in ensuring that there is
progress in reducing poverty, so I urge all my colleagues to vote in
support of H.R. 2940. We must ensure that funding for families in need
continues until the end of this fiscal year.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
2940, to extend the authorization for the Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families program and the Child Care Entitlements to States
program through the end of the 2019 fiscal year. This legislation will
ensure that families in my district continue to have access to the
important financial and social support offered by these programs.
We know that low-income workers face significant hurdles to economic
security. TANF is a critical tool for making sure that these families
can afford basic necessities like food, housing, and medicine. In fact,
over 11,000 families in Alabama currently receive assistance from TANF,
and more than 20,000 children benefit from this important program.
This bill will make sure that TANF recipients in Alabama receive the
$23.25 million that is expected to be allocated to the State in the
coming months.
This legislation also extends the Child Care Entitlement to States
program, an important tool as we fight to make sure all parents can
have access to affordable, quality childcare. Childcare is one of the
largest expenses facing families, and the matching funds included in
this program are important to support low-income workers and their
children.
I am pleased that this bill will unlock $10.2 million of funding for
childcare in Alabama to help meet the needs of children and families in
my district.
While I strongly support this bill, it should be noted that no one
thinks that this short-term extension of these programs is the perfect
solution. But it is critical that we maintain funding and provide
continuity for working families and children who depend upon TANF and
childcare grant funding.
It is my hope that we will continue to explore ideas to improve these
programs, including increasing funding levels for childcare support
grants and identifying ways that these programs can more effectively
help families in need.
I ask my colleagues to join us in supporting this short-term
extension of TANF and childcare entitlement programs, and I ask that
they support this bill going forward.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).
Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, here we are, yet again, to extend block
grants to States for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Act
through September 30, 2019, this time in the form of H.R. 2940. I
support that initiative.
However, with the reform of ``welfare as we knew it'' pre-1996,
instead of helping people out of poverty, as the narrative goes, we
have created a permanent underclass of primarily women workers who have
been denied education, denied training, and denied childcare while
being required to work at below-subsistence levels or, worse, forced to
engage in work activities with absolutely no compensation, which is
violative of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished
slavery and uncompensated work.
Mr. Speaker, our so-called welfare reform can more accurately be
described as ``welfare deform,'' given the flagrant flaws that amount
to government-sanctioned child abuse--for example, the requirement to
work without guaranteed, safe, and affordable childcare, and the
imposition of time limits during countercyclical episodes, like the one
we saw during the Great Recession.
Mr. Speaker, I have drafted a bill called the RISE Out of Poverty Act
that would do more than just extend TANF. It would reform it by
stipulating that reducing child poverty and securing childcare while
the parent is at work would be the primary purpose of TANF.
We would lift people out of poverty. The block grants would be spent
on programs that would alleviate poverty, not on projects like filling
the holes in a government's budget.
While I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2940, I also encourage us,
Mr. Speaker, to roll up our sleeves and get to work and craft an
overhaul of this program that would fix the shortcomings that exist in
the TANF program we now have.
Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes), and I ask unanimous consent that he
be allowed to control that time.
[[Page H4197]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Indiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Dunn).
Mr. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, today, this Congress will finally finish its
work on a disaster supplemental. For my district, this bill comes
almost 8 months after Hurricane Michael destroyed 12 counties in
Florida.
For 8 months, I have hammered this Congress about the devastation and
desperate needs in my communities. Month after month, one political
excuse after another has been used to delay the emergency disaster
supplemental, which had always been prompt and never been politicized.
But not this time. This time, my neighbors, my communities, and my
friends were left to wonder why Washington doesn't care about them.
Whatever became of Americans helping Americans?
To my colleagues who have unnecessarily delayed this bill, and who
may even today vote against it, I ask why. Some colleagues will say
their principles required a recorded vote, even though the content of
this bill has been known for months and debated for months. In fact, we
had a chance to vote on the amendments to it just 2 weeks ago.
For those upset at the cost, okay, spending in Washington is a
problem. But are they willing to make an empty gesture about balancing
the Federal budget on the backs of Americans who have lost everything?
Are they willing to force the airmen at Tyndall and the marines at Camp
Lejeune to halt work to repair their bases because they ran out of
money over a month ago? How about the foresters in the timber industry
who grow a commodity not covered by Federal crop insurance or any other
program? Are they willing to bankrupt them? A ``no'' vote today does
exactly that.
I would like to close with a simple thought for those who would think
about voting ``no'' on this bill: There but for the grace of God go I.
If this happened in their districts, would they be willing and
prepared to vote against their neighbors in the face of a disaster that
literally destroyed their homes and businesses? Would they look them in
the eye and vote ``no''? I rather doubt it.
Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as Congress debates another extension of
the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF.
While TANF remains a vital program to millions of Americans, and I
support an extension, I am disappointed in my colleagues across the
aisle for not taking the opportunity to discuss much-needed reforms to
TANF, which are long overdue. In fact, since the program began in 1996,
TANF has had only one true reauthorization and has been simply extended
38 times, including four times in the last 2 years since I have been in
Congress.
Today, we debate another extension until September 30. However,
another extension does not allow us to discuss proposals to reform TANF
to help Americans get jobs needed for an independent and prosperous
life.
Unlike my colleagues, Republicans have put forth such a proposal
called the JOBS for Success Act. The bill expands services to connect
people receiving TANF with tailored skills training and jobs. It also
allows States to fund apprenticeships and on-the-job training programs,
and it expands funding for work-related transportation costs and
childcare. In return, the JOBS for Success Act strengthens
accountability for securing a job and maintaining it.
These commonsense reforms are needed now more than ever. Under our
new Tax Code, our booming economy has more jobs than workers for the
first time in history: 7.5 million job openings versus 5.8 million
unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now is the
time for people to get the support and training they need to take part
in this historic economic recovery.
Reforming TANF in Congress should be a great first step toward this
goal. I know this because I have seen how reforms to TANF can help
those in need.
In my home State of Kansas, we allowed TANF dollars to go to the JAG
program, which helps at-risk high school students graduate and get a
successful career path. In Kansas, JAG has a 91 percent graduation rate
and 80 percent employment rate, both above the national average for JAG
students.
This one statewide reform is an example of the potential that exists
if we come together to look at potential national reforms to TANF and
to help families in need and give them the support they need.
{time} 1545
Unfortunately, it appears that my colleagues across the aisle are
okay with simply kicking the TANF can down the road for the 39th time
without discussing the JOBS for Success Act or offering any sort of
reform proposal.
As we debate this extension bill, I continue to call on my colleagues
to work with us on reforming TANF and developing a full reauthorization
bill, not just continuing to kick the can down the road.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the
balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member, Representative
Walorski from Indiana, and all of my colleagues who have supported and
who cosponsor and support this legislation. Congress can and should do
far more to reduce child poverty and help hardworking families to make
ends meet.
For example, a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences found
multiple paths to reducing child poverty by 50 percent in just 10 years
using well-known evidence-based tools like the earned income tax
credit, the child independent care tax credit, and the Child Care and
Development Fund.
Mr. Speaker, I hope to work with my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle to find new ways to support the parents and grandparents who are
working so hard. But while we are looking for ways to make sure that
States and the Federal Government do more, we should certainly not
allow a funding lapse that would result in States having to do less.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this simple,
bipartisan legislation to allow us to meet our commitments to State
governments and to families in need across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge full support, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2940, which
strengthens the ``Temporary Assistance for Needy-Families'' program.
Specifically, H.R. 2940 extends the authorizations for the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) and the Child Care
Entitlement to States (CCES) through September 30, 2019.
The legislation passed by Congress to end the Trump Shutdown
authorizes the TANF program through June 30, 2019.
H.R. 2940 is necessary to ensure that the Department of Health and
Human Services has the authority to pay fourth quarter allotments to
states, tribes, and territories on time and in full, preventing any
interruption of benefits to low-income parents and children.
TANF is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) and features four program goals: provide assistance to
needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes;
reduce the dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation,
work and marriage; prevent and reduce unplanned pregnancies among 1
single young adults; and encourage the formation and maintenance of
two-parent families.
Under TANF, the federal government gives states a fixed block grant
totaling $16.5 billion each year.
This annual amount has not increased for inflation over the past two
decades-and now covers only two-thirds of the purchasing power when it
was created.
TANF and SNAP are essential to provide nutritional and financial
assistance to the nation's neediest families and children.
Nearly half (48 percent) (3,375,666) of Texan children live in low-
income families which is significantly higher than the national level
of 41 percent.
Texas needs to increase the amount of funding for needy families to
support their livelihoods and prosperity.
Many TANF families struggle with multiple barriers to self-
sufficiency, such as disabilities, mental health issues, domestic
violence and substance use disorders.
As a result, these families may not always be able to meet the full
participation requirements.
[[Page H4198]]
States and counties should be given the flexibility to provide
partial credit to these families with special needs.
TANF funding should be increased annually by an amount commensurate
with the rate of inflation to ensure that the program's actual value
does not decrease each year.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Texas has supported
57,201 Texans in FY2018.
Texas has reported March 2019 TANF expenditures of $3,371,717 for
18,195 cases.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Texas is
listed as one of nine (9) states that spend less than 10 percent of
TANF funds.
Another families program that falls under assistance for needy is the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides
nutritional assistance to children and families.
Texas has spent $357,125,771 over the span of 1,377,384 cases in
April 2019.
As of April 2019, Houston has 1,557 SNAP cases, which provides
services to 3,168 people, of which 252 are elderly and 1,461 are
children.
In total, SNAP has funded $350,743 in food assistance as of April
2019 in Houston.
Long-term reauthorization and adequate funding for this safety-net
program are critical for counties, which invest over $58 billion
annually in human services.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2940
to support the extension of these critical programs for our needy
families and children.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2940.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the
yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________