Rev. Greenaway: “An administration that once pledged to fight for the ‘forgotten man’ continues to punish the Americans most in need.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Natalie Mulloy
Email: [email protected]
WASHINGTON – On April 10, 2018, the White House issued an executive order, titled “Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility.” The executive order requires eight Cabinet-level agencies to review regulations and guidance governing the administration of public benefit programs that assist low-income families and identify opportunities for reform, especially with respect to work requirements and immigrant access.
Rev. Douglas Greenaway, President and CEO of the National WIC Association (NWA), issued the following statement in response:
“The National WIC Association is deeply disturbed by the White House’s latest attempts to stigmatize public benefit programs and impose new barriers on low-income families. Public benefit programs like WIC are a helping hand to families in a time of need. The Administration’s rhetoric is completely out of sync with the realities of modern-day poverty, rehashing the tactics of shaming and blaming single moms for an unfair economy that fails to provide enough jobs with healthy wages for the working class.
“As we all have seen over the last twenty years, work requirements without significant investment in job training are simply underhanded tactics used to deny people in need access to the very services that can give them a shot at the American dream. Work requirements do not alleviate hunger, do not provide health care to those in need, and do not improve the job prospects and wages of low-income Americans. In short, work requirements do not work.
“The executive order also continues the Administration’s mean-spirited and cruel attacks on immigrant families. Immigrants are a vital part of the American fabric and active participants in growing America’s economy and future. The millions of people hoping to become citizens deserve better than this Administration’s continued assault on their dignity and contributions to the American economy.
“The executive order’s unnecessary reporting requirements on federal agencies serve only to divert resources away from program administration. As the Administration proposes drastic cuts to public benefit programs, it is not surprising that they now burden federal career staff with the inane task of collecting readily available information, all to ease the workloads of White House advisers.
“It is disheartening that, time and time again, an administration that once pledged to fight for the ‘forgotten man’ continues to punish the Americans most in need. Instead of imposing new and burdensome requirements that will put pregnant women and new moms at health risk and literally take food from the mouths of babes, the Administration should focus on raising wages and improving the quality of life for those working to reach an American dream that increasingly seems out of reach.”
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