Weekly Message: Handing out money won’t guide Mainers to economic success

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 Handing out money won’t guide Mainers to economic success

I don’t believe that handing a money to someone will lift them out of poverty. I do believe in giving them the tools and the knowledge to help them succeed at their job.

Hello, this is Governor Paul LePage.

There are two ways to fight poverty. We can try to buy our way out of it, which makes liberals feel good. But doing that has grown our welfare system so much that we can no longer provide the appropriate level of care for Maine’s most vulnerable people.

Or we can provide education and training to help guide a person toward a life of economic independence.

If you hand someone money who hasn’t worked for it, 9 times out of 10, it’s going to be spent unwisely. But if you offer support and guidance to help someone get employed, the check they get from their hard work is apt to be spent more wisely. 

Our Administration has transformed welfare, turning the focus from welfare to work. We have intensified efforts to ensure people have the ability and access to learn job skills. 

During the last six months, a partnership between DHHS and DOL has led to an increased effort to help Mainers who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. Vocational assessments, connection to the Maine Career Centers and job banks and continued case management have led to a significant increase in the employment of TANF recipients. The Departments will take a similar approach to help Food Supplement recipients meet the work requirement by providing job-search training and support that focuses heavily on attaining employment.

Effective October 1, the State will no longer seek a waiver from the federal government to eliminate the work requirement for Food Supplement benefits, more commonly known as food stamps. Instead, DHHS will abide by federal law that requires most able-bodied recipients work, provide volunteer services or be involved in a specialized work training program in order to receive food stamps. We expect this change will affect about 11,000 Mainers.

However, this is not about cutting people off a program. Instead, this is common-sense reform that will put Mainers on a path to economic independence. The State has the resources, and it’s our job to let Mainers know that the help is available for them.

Ultimately, we must prioritize our welfare system so we can protect our most needy. My administration has been focused on our children, elderly, disabled and mentally ill. These people are a priority, and we will continue to see that they are at the top of the list.

Thank you for listening.

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