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News Release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Oct. 25, 2002
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Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
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CENSUS BUREAU REPORT SHOWS WELFARE REFORM HELPING FAMILIES
Secretary Thompson Calls on Senate to Pass Reauthorization Bill
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said today that a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau demonstrates once again that welfare reform in America is working by helping people go to work and build better lives for themselves and their families.
The Census report concluded that the proportion of custodial mothers taking part in the nation's public assistance programs fell from 26 percent to 11 percent between 1993 and 1999. Additionally, the proportion of mothers and their children living in poverty dropped 8 percentage points -- to about three in 10 families, the report found.
"Welfare reform in this nation is working because Congress and the nation's governors rejected the status quo six years ago and were bold enough to create a better way for helping families escape generations of poverty," Secretary Thompson said. "With the same boldness as in 1996, we need to move beyond the existing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program -- today's status quo -- and improve upon it so that it completes the transition of individuals from dependence upon a welfare check to the independence of a paycheck."
"The House has passed reauthorization legislation, based on President Bush's bold and visionary proposal. Now, the Senate must do the same -- this year."
The report -- Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 1999 -- also found that the percentage of custodial parents working full time had grown to more than 50 percent by 1999.
"We must not turn our back on the opportunity to build upon the most successful social revolution in America in the last 60 years -- as well as the millions of families who are beginning or continuing to climb the career ladder thanks to welfare reform," Secretary Thompson said.
"Together, we shattered the cycle of dependency and we must now create a cycle of opportunity -- opportunity created by a culture of hard work and dreams of better lives for American families. As today's report demonstrates, welfare mothers have found their long-lost self-esteem and are among the millions of Americans who now know the reward of work and earning a paycheck," Secretary Thompson said. "It would be irresponsible to now cling to the status quo when the potential to help families climb out of poverty and become self-sufficient is within our grasp."
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
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Last Revised: October 25, 2002
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