"What welfare reform did
in my view was to go after some of the weakest and most vulnerable people in
this country," says Bernie Sanders
In a speech linking policies
supported by Hillary Clinton to economic hardships of U.S. children, families,
and workers, Bernie Sanders on Wednesday laid
out his anti-poverty agenda in Columbia, South Carolina.
Noting that the U.S.
"today has the highest poverty rate of nearly any major country on earth
because almost all of the new wealth and income is going to the people on
top," Sanders lambasted the 1996 welfare reform bill signed into law by
then-President Bill Clinton.
"What welfare reform did
in my view was to go after some of the weakest and most vulnerable people in
this country," Sanders said, before highlighting Hillary Clinton's support
(pdf) for the legislation as First Lady.
"During that period, I
spoke out against so-called 'welfare reform' because I thought it was
scapegoating people who were helpless, people who were very, very
vulnerable," he continued. "Secretary Clinton at that time had a very
different position on welfare reform. She strongly supported it and worked hard
to round up votes for its passage."
In her 2003 book, Clinton said
of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act that she
"agreed that [Bill Clinton] should sign it and worked hard to round up
votes for its passage."
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