FGA Applauds Wisconsin’s Commitment to Welfare Reform
- BY FGA
Madison, WI – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took another leap forward yesterday in affirming his leadership on welfare reform by signing key reform measures that promote work among able-bodied adults and preserve welfare programs for the truly needy.
The legislation includes important changes to the state’s food stamp program, Medicaid, public housing, and more. The policies signed into law will expand work requirements for able-bodied adults, ensure resources are preserved for those without significant financial assets, strengthen child support enforcement, and improve program integrity.
“We want to help those in need move from government dependence to true independence through the dignity of work,” Walker said in a statement. “We believe welfare should be more like a trampoline and less like a hammock.”
FGA applauds Governor Walker’s ongoing leadership and the Wisconsin lawmakers that delivered these key bills to his desk, including chief sponsors Speaker Robin Vos and Senator Chris Kapenga.
“More than 20 years ago, Wisconsin put forth a bold vision for state-driven reform that helped spark and shape a national movement for welfare reform. Now a new wave of welfare reform is underway and Wisconsin once again leads the way,” said Tarren Bragdon, President and CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA). “Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is at an all-time low and employers are desperate for workers. Governor Walker’s reforms are a critical step forward in moving able-bodied adults from welfare to work and filling more than 100,000 open jobs in the state. The Governor and the Wisconsin Legislature have cemented Wisconsin’s legacy on welfare reform for years to come, preserving resources for the truly needy and making it clear to able-bodied adults that work pays.”
For other examples of Governor Walkers leadership on these issues, watch this video or read these pieces in National Review Online and the Washington Examiner.
The Foundation for Government Accountability is a non–profit, multi–state think tank that specializes in health care, welfare, and work reform. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
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