Last-Minute Lobbying Drive To Save Jobs Created By Welfare To Work Program

Advocates of a welfare-to-work program that has created an estimated 240,000 jobs are lobbying frantically to get Congress to reauthorize funding for the program before it expires at the end of the month.

Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) is hosting a press conference on Wednesday with Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter and several Philadelphia employers who have been able to hire workers with the help of the program, which was created by the 2009 stimulus bill to boost hiring via states' Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs by paying or subsidizing new workers' salaries.

"Mayor Nutter's witness on this has been very compelling -- he said it's been very effective in Philadelphia, more effective than anything that he has seen to have rapid attachment to jobs in a city that's just a hair below 12 percent unemployment," said Sen. Casey in an interview with HuffPost on Tuesday. "It's a jobs issue and we're going to try to have an extension of it because it's working."

Senate Democrats attempted to reauthorize funding for the program back in March, but failed due to objections over the $1.3 billion deficit impact of the program. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that the program has created more than 240,000 jobs, many of which will simply end without Congressional action.

"As the Emergency Fund's September 30 expiration looms, states are ramping down their subsidized jobs programs, stopping new placements and giving notice that existing jobs will end," wrote Liz Schott and LaDonna Pavetti of the CBBP in a blog post. "For example, Illinois plans to send notices shortly after Labor Day to 26,000 workers participating in Put Illinois to Work to inform them that their jobs will end on September 30. In San Francisco, where all except a few hundred subsidies will end on September 30, letters have already gone out to employers and workers."

"This was part of the original stimulus so I guess everyone figured by the end of 2010 we'd be back on our feet," said John Dodds of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project. "It's crazy to pull the plug on this program."

Dodds said the program has put 12,800 people to work at 4,200 businesses. Dodds said he'll Casey in Washington Wednesday with a petition to save the program signed by 1,200 employers.

Advocates of the Emergency Fund's reauthorization are hoping it can attached to a "tax extenders" bill or possibly a "continuing resolution" to fund government operations needed in lieu of a formal budget.

"We're not sure what the best vehicle is yet," said Sen. Casey. "We're going to try every way possible, but it is a short window."

Comments

[pingufan]

03:52 PM on 09/15/2010

Back in March I was uncertain that this program was worth the money. With the continued high unemployment rate, this is money well spent. Certainly it has job numbers in excess of those funded by the stimulus. I hope the program is extended.

[therealist2000]

08:43 PM on 09/14/2010

The Federal Government is refusing to serve as employer of last resort.
Any program that helps people put food on the table with dignity
deserves all the support it can get from the American people.

[senorlou]

07:24 PM on 09/14/2010

Americans just don't care about each other anymore. They don't care about these 240,000 or so people who will lose their jobs. Somehow, Americans (in general) have become the type of people who only care about something when it actually happens to them personally. Then suddenly, they care. I think it's called "selfishness" or maybe "narcissism" or something like that.

[sueinmn]

07:52 PM on 09/14/2010

Fanned and so true.

[Lake Saganaga]

01:12 AM on 09/15/2010

True. In France, the middle class identifies with the working class and supports them in strikes. No wonder they have a strong social safety net. Even recently, polls show 70% of the public support strikes by public sector employees. Though the safety net is being chipped away lsowly by the Masters of the Universe, people there are pretty alert and come together. I can only applaud them & sigh about US.

[dreamsugar]

06:25 PM on 09/14/2010

Hey Republicans -- this is your time to SHINE -- you want to save/create jobs here's your chance........oh wait....you want to defund/cut the program.......ah???

[GandenT]

06:08 PM on 09/14/2010

Where are all the trolls on this one? Interesting that they're not squatting here to dispense little dollops of their liber/conserv/bagger economic wisdom....

[blindhog]

06:03 PM on 09/14/2010

What rich people don't seem to understand is that when you give a legal citizen in this country a job, even if it requires governmental help, that person buys things which in turns increases manufacturing. OH, WAIT!

Unfortunately because big business has gotten it's way, manufacturing has been shipped overseas. Oh, and by the way big business will continue to get its way thanks to the impeachable decision of 5 supreme court judges.

So, maybe I am clueless---does anyone have an answer on how to get out of this sewage whirlpool we are caught in?

[frank day]

06:00 PM on 09/14/2010

Expect Boehner, Lieberman, McConnel, and Bunning to announce a plan to replace the jobs program.

It will feature, work houses for the poor and unemployed. Management of the agressive new initiative will be outsourced to IBM.

[sueinmn]

07:54 PM on 09/14/2010

Sorta like the "re-training" camps Bachman spoke of? Accusing Obama of these? The repubs are so guilty of everything they claim against Obama. THEY are the Hitlers, the Marxism, the bottom of the cess-pool.

[drwtsn]

11:00 PM on 09/14/2010

Don't forget, it will also feature tax cuts for the rich so they can "create jobs."

[VirginiaJeff]

05:27 PM on 09/14/2010

This is exactly the kind of program conservatives used to claim they wanted.

Now that we have it, they don't want to keep it?

[Knowitall]

12:29 AM on 09/15/2010

Actually the Welfare to Work program has, until recent days, been touted as one of the triumphs of the Gingrich congress, I believe the bill was written in the house by mostly REPUBLICANS, and was signed by Clinton around 1996 or so. Clinton considered it a fulfillment of his promise to end "welfare as we know it."

Clinton was Vilified by the left for signing that bill at the time, because they thought that thousands of disadvantaged people would be purged from the welfare roles without a lifeline.
Meantime Gingrich and company hailed it as the beginning of the end of the welfare state.
Last years stimulus money gave a boost to the program which I believe was due for reauthorization this year. Funding for the program is due to end on September 30, when the bill is due to end.

Let's see now whether the Republicans will vote to extend this program--a program they voted for almost unanimously less than 20 years ago.

[jws2346]

05:13 PM on 09/14/2010

What is happening here? It's been a constant chorus of outcry's to create jobs in the private sector, here this program is doing just that and they want to defund it? Somebody better clue our fat cat representatives that there ain't no free rides (or free lunches unless you're a pol)

[rabprevent]

05:04 PM on 09/14/2010

The only way the retugs would support this is if they get a cut of that funding for their personal use!

They do not care about the American worker!

[bluto392]

04:45 PM on 09/14/2010

GOBP response: This needs to be stopped! People on welfare shouldn't get extra help getting jobs! They're lazy, that's why they're on welfare! No jobs for the welfare poors!

Or something.

[plumbergirl]

05:34 PM on 09/14/2010

So true. Favorite

[frank day]

05:57 PM on 09/14/2010

Sad and true.
F&F

[LesleyAnne]

04:39 PM on 09/14/2010

This makes no sense at all! We need jobs and this is a job creator. Dems in the November race need to get their messages straight and tout their accomplishments. It's something they should have been doing all along, selling their agenda to the people. Their voices are being drowned out by Republican hate and fear mongering.

[Billar]

04:23 PM on 09/14/2010

When someone has a job they feel good about themselves. The GOP does not like our people working because they cater to the lobbyists who want jobs outsourced. The GOP is concerned about the Corporatocracy and not the democracy. The maximization of profits and the outsourceing of US jobs to low waged China, India, etc is a key GOP mantra.

[senorlou]

07:21 PM on 09/14/2010

Very true.

[Billar]

04:16 PM on 09/14/2010

This is a good program that deserves funding.

[Matt Herren]

04:14 PM on 09/14/2010

The Left seems to have this attitude that 'jobs' are simply something to have to give people a wage to pay the bills.... with no regard to what the work actually is or if it is a position of actual value. If a position is needed... then pay someone to do it. If it isn't... then it shouldn't exist.

[Billar]

04:17 PM on 09/14/2010

We know you would rather see the money spent on wars. You boy Bush caused a three trillion debit with both of these unnecessary wars.

[Matt Herren]

04:24 PM on 09/14/2010

What is wrong with you people? I am no fan of the Bush presidency... and I made no assertion as to the legitimacy or need for a war in Iraq... I was simply pointing out a philosophical attitude that many in this country seem to have regarding the proper role and function of government and the nature of what 'work' really is.

[Matt Herren]

04:25 PM on 09/14/2010

Not to mention the latest 'stimulus' package cost more than all of the military activity under the Bush presidency combined. Why can't both be wrong?

[keith1963]

04:20 PM on 09/14/2010

So when BushCo tanked the economy, the jobs disappeared, hence the unemployment. The the Geo-Sheep whine because there are no jobs. Matt, they don't exist. Tito, bring Matt some tissue.

[mark19992000]

04:34 PM on 09/14/2010

Bush's policies did not cause the housing and financial collapse that created the recession and high unemployment.

I have no problem with welfare to work. But there is no way that paying people's wages through our taxes should be a long term commitment. It makes no sense for the govt. to take the money from the private sector to pay people to work private sector jobs. The goal should be to get the private sector sound enough to pay people for jobs that were created out of growth and expansion. If the economy is ever going to improve, the give aways have to stop.