{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/2024/12/in-case-you-missed-it-sen-rick-scott-in-the-washington-examiner-republicans-should-take-this-first-step-to-turn-america-s-economy-around", "IN CASE YOU MISSED IT\u2026 Sen. Rick Scott in The Washington Examiner: Republicans should take this first step to turn America\u2019s economy around", "2024-12-16", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "Senate", "FL", "Rick Scott", "S001217", "www.rickscott.senate.gov", "rickscott", "https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/press-releases/", "page_html", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for the Washington Examiner highlighting the importance of rebuilding America\u2019s labor force and reestablishing work requirements for federal welfare.\n\nIn the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, \u201cLast month, voters delivered a resounding endorsement of the American dream \u2014 the idea that you can become anything you want as long as you are willing to work for it. By electing Donald Trump and Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress, our voters rejected four years of failed policies that destroyed full-time jobs, optimism, and opportunity from coast to coast. The country wants the return of more good-paying jobs, and Republicans must reduce the size of government, cut taxes, eliminate burdensome regulations, and reduce permitting times to fuel private-sector job growth and get more people back in the workforce.\n\n...\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, instead of focusing on private-sector job creation, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Democrats in Congress have leaned too heavily on our country\u2019s welfare system, breaking it beyond recognition.\n\n...\n\n\u201cUnder the cover of the pandemic, the Biden-Harris administration massively ramped up federal welfare payments to the point that people can make more from government checks than a company paycheck.\n\n...\n\n\u201cThe most recent data show that nearly 25 million able-bodied adults receive taxpayer health benefits without working, and more than 50 million people between the ages of 16 and 64 are not in the workforce. Meanwhile, America\u2019s employers report having more than 7 million open jobs, many of which could be easily filled by able-bodied adults who are on welfare.\n\n...\n\n\u201cReal and lasting reform that benefits America and gets our nation back to work will only come from Congress working hand-in-glove with Trump on these issues. That\u2019s why I authored the Let\u2019s Get to Work Act, which would permanently end the work exemptions that states have abused.\n\n...\n\n\u201cIn 2016, when Florida instituted this policy for food stamps, the number of able-bodied adults without dependents on the program dropped by 94% in three years. They went back to work in more than 1,000 different industries, touching every corner of the economy.\n\n...\n\n\u201cIn fact, universal work requirements and cracking down on welfare fraud could save taxpayers up to $1.5 trillion over the next decade. That\u2019s desperately needed at a time when Washington, D.C., is adding nearly $2 trillion to the national debt every year\u2026\u201d\n\nRead the full op-ed in the Washington Examiner HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-03-30T11:08:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/2024/12/in-case-you-missed-it-sen-rick-scott-in-the-washington-examiner-republicans-should-take-this-first-step-to-turn-america-s-economy-around"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9032271336764097, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}