Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) alongside four other Republicans penned a letter to President Joe Biden (D) “urging him to enact work requirements as a feature of welfare reform.”
Rep. Gaetz and his colleagues are asking for the President to work with the legislative branch to cut spending, especially at a time where the national debt and the debt ceiling are massive points of contention in the new 118th Congress.
They write, “all branches of the federal government must work together to find a solution. The United States has a history of bipartisanship, regarding welfare, including the work surrounding President Bill Clinton’s 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, negotiated with a Republican House.”
Currently, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are incredibly lax compared to pre-pandemic regulations.
“In a 10-year period, commonsense welfare reform could save the United States billions of dollars. Most of all, structural reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will better position funding for people in need while incentivizing able-bodied people to return to the workforce. These incentives will prevent the condemnation of SNAP beneficiaries to a life of dependency; instead, incentives will restore their dignity,” the legislators wrote.
They ended their letter with a message about “crippling economy.”
“We must act now to stop a gridlock and prevent the crippling of our economy at this critical juncture. President Biden, I am eagerly waiting for your response to this letter, and I look forward to working together on behalf of the American people,” they concluded.
The legislators alongside Gaetz include Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and Ralph Norman (R-SC).
Last month, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) similarly reintroduced the Let’s Get to Work Act, which also calls for a strengthening of SNAP requirements.
