1. Prohibit Workfare (Unpaid forced labor)
2. Undo the $125 SSI Cut,
3. Reduce the $50 housing cut to $25 dollars a month,
4. Undo the family cap,
5. Undo the 20 hour work requirement on top of education,
6. Reduce and Cap MA co-pays to $7,
7. Undo Child care co-pays.

Pawlenty is once again using poor women and children as scapegoats for why he VETOED the bill.

Pawlenty says the bill costs too much, but in fact all of the welfare changes use federal TANF dollars and comprise only a tiny percentage of the cost of this bill. Federal TANF dollars are for spending on Welfare! But Pawlenty wants to steal the TANF dollars to spend on other things!!!

Pawlenty says the Democrats are trying to roll back welfare reform. But in fact, the changes in this bill undo the devastating cuts to welfare that Pawlenty imposed in 2003!

The following is the WRC statement on the situation:
SF/HF 2171 will undo the following cuts and will start to make up for a very tiny portion of the damage that was done in 2003; Prohibit Workfare (Unpaid forced labor) Undo the $125 SSI Cut, Reduce the $50 housing cut to $25 dollars a month, Undo the family cap, Undo the 20 hour work requirement on top of education, Reduce and Cap MA co-pays to $7,Undo Child care co-pays.

We are, however, disturbed that Governor Pawlenty vetoed the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill. Governor Pawlenty and many other Minnesota Politicians have and are continuing to be obstructionist to giving poor people in this state some type of justice and relief from the devastating cuts made in 2003. We are also disgusted and insulted with the rhetoric by Governor Pawlenty and many other Minnesota Politicians because they have done nothing this session but demonize poor and working people in Minnesota, steal money from TANF which is for poor families on welfare, obstruct families from getting the health care that they need, and promote slave labor that forces parents on welfare to work for free! Governor Pawlenty is on notice! The Poor and working people in Minnesota are not buying into the rhetoric of poor bashing from Governor Pawlenty and many other Minnesota Politicians who continue to following this agenda.

We are calling on all Democrats in the Senate and House not to sell out poor and working people this year. We are calling on Democrats and in the House and Senate to stand and fight back against Governor Pawlenty and many other Minnesota Politicians who wish to be obstructionist in stopping a SF/HF 2171 from becoming law. This year it’s time for poor and working people in Minnesota to have some type of justice though it may be small and not enough. No Justice No Peace! Undo do the Cuts! Tax the Rich! Stop Workfare/Slave Labor Now!