Thanks, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to all our witnesses.
Mr. Chairman, I welcome an opportunity to discuss the programs and strategies that have proven the most successful in helping families escape poverty.
Federal initiatives helped raise 40 million Americans above the poverty line in 2011 under a comprehensive measure that counts all assistance, known as the Supplemental Poverty Measure. Taken as whole, public policy is having an immense impact on the well being of many of our least fortunate neighbors.
This however, still leaves the question of which specific approaches are most effective in achieving our objectives. As we contemplate that question, I believe that the focus of this subcommittee ought to be on the one program - the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - that is within our jurisdiction. That ought to be our primary focus especially since the TANF program is set to expire September 30.
I voted for the 1996 welfare reform law because I believe helping people find a job is the best strategy to reduce poverty. But this premise hinges on two very important principles. First, assistance has to be available when jobs are scarce. And second, a real effort has to be made to help people find, maintain and advance in employment.
Any fair reading of the last decade shows of the TANF program finds it lacking on both counts. The percentage of poor, single mothers who are working has been dropping almost consistently for the past 12 years, after having made significant progress in the mid and late 1990s. Even more troubling, the percentage of poor mothers who are neither working, nor receiving any assistance from TANF is more than twice as high compared to when TANF was established in 1996.
Some of our colleagues often complain that our federal programs are allowed to drift on auto-pilot. That seems to be accurate as it relates to TANF. This program is in real need of a significant reevaluation rather than this stop-start for brief periods approach that we’ve been taking in recent years. Instead of working toward that goal, we spent most of the last year in this subcommittee debating whether the Administration was giving the states too much flexibility in the TANF program.
For those who think that stricter work requirements constitute a panacea on this issue, it’s noteworthy that a number of states, including those with Republican Governors, have complained that the TANF work participation requirements really don’t measure success.
Rather than continue the same tired old arguments, our Committee can actively advance the debate on this issue by reviewing evidence on specific strategies that might help TANF recipients get and retain jobs.
One promising approach to boosting both employment and earnings through sectoral training programs that target high-demand occupations and provide training and job search assistance to low-income individuals. Unlike some past training programs, these efforts are squarely aimed at preparing folks for job opportunities that exist in their communities.
I look forward especially to having a neighbor from Austin, Tara Smith with the Ray Marshall Center at the University of Texas, offer comments about the success that is reflect in the Capital IDEA program in Austin and Project QUEST in San Antonio that have shown real promise in helping people find not only jobs, but lasting careers.
The Alamo Academies in San Antonio have taken this same successful sectoral employment approach and have partnered with high schools, community colleges, and aerospace companies at Port San Antonio to provide specialized advanced manufacturing training. I’ve been out to meet with some of those students and they’re impressive. They are high school seniors who complete the program and receive valuable credentials along with their high school diploma when graduating from the program, and some are earning an average pay of over $30,000 starting out of school each year.
Mr. Chairman, I look forward to a productive discussion about how these and other proven strategies might help us to improve outcomes for TANF recipients and other struggling Americans. Let’s find a path forward toward our common goal of increasing employment and reducing poverty.
Thank you.
