House Republican Calls Low-Income Housing ‘Even More Dangerous’ Than Food Stamps: ‘Discouraging Work and Discouraging Marriage’

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) sought to include work requirements for people who live in low-income housing during a House Rules Committee meeting on Tuesday.

At the end of the hearing, the committee voted to send a bill agreed to by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Joe Biden to suspend the nation’s debt ceiling for two years while imposing federal spending caps. The legislation also institutes more rigid work requirements for recipients of welfare under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, as well as beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The bill’s work requirements did not go far enough for Grothman, who proposed adding low-incoming housing into the equation:

For whatever reason, the people [who] put together this bill, knew we needed work requirements for SNAP [but] they said we shouldn’t have them for Medicaid, which kind of, I predicted. But they left low-income housing untouched. I think as far as discouraging work and discouraging marriage, I think low-income housing is even a more dangerous program than the food stamps.

So, I’m including low-income housing in the mix of having work requirements. The amendment is drafted to include Section 8 housing, which is an error on my part because there are other low-income housings as well. But that’s what we have before us.

The broader bill will head to the floor on Wednesday for a vote, where it is possible McCarthy will need the votes of some Democrats as several members of his conference have said the oppose the deal.

Watch above via C-SPAN.