Wasserman Schultz: ‘We Already Have’ Work Requirements and Suggesting People Don’t Want to Work Is ‘Discriminatory’

On Tuesday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Sound On,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) stated that the increased work requirements in the debt ceiling bill are harming the poor and suggesting “that people who are struggling don’t want to work and that they just want to sit fat and happy and collect a government check” and that this is “insulting, ridiculous, and discriminatory.” She also noted that work requirements already exist for a lot of benefits.

Host Joe Mathieu asked, [relevant exchange begins around 8:05] “We were joined by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) a couple of days ago and [he] was specifically addressing the issue of work requirements…he said that he is sick and tired of trying to deal with budgetary challenges by screwing poor people. Is he right about that?”

Wasserman Schultz answered, “Yeah, he is right about that. It is totally — we already have work requirements for that kind of assistance and for a wide range of assistance and to suggest that people who are struggling don’t want to work and that they just want to sit fat and happy and collect a government check is insulting, ridiculous, and discriminatory. That said, in order to make sure that we can protect our economy from Republican extremism, the minor change to work requirements — and it phases in and then phases out — while expanding the food stamp benefits to include veterans, former foster youth, and people who are homeless, that’s a good tradeoff, because all of it is temporary.”

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