Expect renewed attention on the welfare debate as a bill to block
President Obama's waivers goes to markup. Two House committees — Ways
and Means, and Education and the Workforce — will consider the
resolution Thursday morning, just a week after government investigators
ruled that Congress could review the controversial policy. Ways and
Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) said this week that he anticipates a
floor vote soon, and predicted the Democrats would join Republicans in
support of the bill.
Under the administration's revised policy, federal waivers would allow states to test new approaches to boost employment among low-income families. In exchange, states would have to prove that their new methods are effective, or lose the waivers, the administration says. The move comes in response to Republican and Democratic governors' requests for more flexibility under the landmark 1996 welfare-to-work law, but Republicans say waivers will "gut" the law's work requirement — a charge fact-checking organizations have questioned.
Speaking with reporters this week, Camp and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the leading critics of the policy on Capitol Hill, pushed the idea that the administration circumvented Congress when it floated the waivers. "The non-partisan [Government Accountability Office] analysis says this is actually a rule," Camp said, referring to the decision that allowed Congress to weigh in, "and now we're following the process under the Congressional Review Act." Hatch mentioned his pocket constitution, and said "it appears that this administration doesn't think it has to live by these constitutional constraints."
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/other/249133-overnight-health-
Under the administration's revised policy, federal waivers would allow states to test new approaches to boost employment among low-income families. In exchange, states would have to prove that their new methods are effective, or lose the waivers, the administration says. The move comes in response to Republican and Democratic governors' requests for more flexibility under the landmark 1996 welfare-to-work law, but Republicans say waivers will "gut" the law's work requirement — a charge fact-checking organizations have questioned.
Speaking with reporters this week, Camp and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the leading critics of the policy on Capitol Hill, pushed the idea that the administration circumvented Congress when it floated the waivers. "The non-partisan [Government Accountability Office] analysis says this is actually a rule," Camp said, referring to the decision that allowed Congress to weigh in, "and now we're following the process under the Congressional Review Act." Hatch mentioned his pocket constitution, and said "it appears that this administration doesn't think it has to live by these constitutional constraints."
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/other/249133-overnight-health-
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