Bradley Byrne
U.S Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL), highlighting proposals from the House Republicans’ “A Better Way” policy agenda that take aim at poverty and promote programs that put people back to work, said during the weekly Republican address on Saturday that every American deserves an opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty once and for all.
“The problem is, the many federal programs that are supposed to help people in need are leaving far too many of them in poverty,” Byrne said. “We’ve spent trillions of dollars over the last 50 years on the so-called ‘War on Poverty’— $800 billion this year alone. And yet during that time the percentage of our people living in poverty has hardly changed.”
The best place to start, Byrne said, is with the idea that “everyone in America deserves a real opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty — once and for all.”
“To do that, we need to combine the present jumble of programs into just a few that can meet people’s needs,” Byrne said. “These programs should make sure every adult who can work has the education and skills to find a good-paying job in the 21st century economy.”
In order to accomplish that, Byrne said, the government must reward work, tailor benefits to people’s needs, improve education and job training, help people plan for the future, and demand results from anti-poverty initiatives.
“The way I see it, if we succeed here, we get a ‘three-fer,’” Byrne said. “First, we lift people out of poverty. Second, the economy will grow as more of us start working. And finally, as people leave the welfare rolls, we will spend less taxpayer money. Yes, it’s time for a better way. A better way for poor children. A better way for struggling adults. And, a better way for America.”