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July 16, 2002

Republicans Are The Party of Compassion

How Welfare Reform Helped Bryan From North Carolina

In 1996, Republicans reformed welfare to encourage work and thereby lifted millions of Americans out of poverty. Even more compelling than the statistics, however, are the stories of the individual Americans whose lives were turned around by Republican welfare reforms.

Bryan Pugh completed his tour of duty with the U.S. Air Force in the fall of 2000. Within a few months Bryan was hired by a local fiber optics company, which paid him an hourly wage adequate to support his family. Unfortunately, within six months the company downsized, and Bryan suddenly found himself without a job. With two young children and a wife to support, Bryan had no immediate income because of his job termination and a misunderstanding between the state unemployment agency and the U.S. Military involving benefits.

Bryan needed assistance for his family and he contacted the local Department of Social Services. Bryan's family qualified for Food Stamps, Family Medicaid and a one-time- only subsidy from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Even though the availability of jobs in his community was slim at the time, Bryan persisted in his search for a job that would support his family. Within a few months, he obtained meaningful employment with a local manufacturing company. Through his new employer, Bryan became immediately eligible for group medical insurance coverage. Bryan and his family are very grateful for the temporary assistance that allowed them to persevere through the tough times.

For 30 years, Democrats fought a losing War on Poverty. Thanks to a Republican Congress, America is finally winning that war.

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Adapted from information provided by the office of Representative Ballenger (R-NC).
[The underlined text indicates hyperlinks in the electronic version of this RPC paper.]

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