Senator Collins Champions Virtue and Dignity of Work to Help Americans Achieve Pathway out of Poverty

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Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senator Susan Collins spoke on the Senate floor today to highlight the policy changes embedded in the $3.5 trillion spending bill that would fundamentally change the nature of work and threaten to trap low-income Americans in intergenerational cycles of poverty.

“Government assistance provides a hand up and aids families that are struggling to overcome barriers to a better life.  Work not only provides the economic pathway out of poverty but also and equally important, imparts dignity, self-reliance, and confidence.  It allows people to provide for their own families.  It instills a sense of belonging and pride.  It strengthens our communities,” said Senator Collins.

“The expensive entitlement programs the Administration is proposing would have profound implications for people’s lives and for the values that are among the pillars of our society, for they would break the connection between work and a brighter future,” Senator Collins continued.  “Absent a pandemic or other crisis, Washington should not simply write monthly checks, creating dependency among those who could have a better life.  The federal government’s obligation is not fulfilled by simply sending a check, washing its hands of any responsibility to actually help people become self-sufficient.” 

“We will not build a more prosperous, just, and equitable society characterized by opportunity, dignity, and meaning just by issuing government checks,” Senator Collins concluded.  “The time-tested way to achieve those goals for American families is by supporting and rewarding work.  It is by recognizing the dignity of work.  And that is the tradition that we must continue to embrace.”

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