Gwen Moore pushes Biden to stand firm against work requirements in debt ceiling talks

WASHINGTON – With stricter work requirements for federal aid programs taking center stage in negotiations over raising the country's debt limit, one of Wisconsin's main opponents of such efforts is pushing back.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Thursday she is "very concerned" the tougher work requirements for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program that were proposed by House Republicans will make it into a potential compromise.

Biden earlier this week signaled he may be open to tighter work requirements as he and Speaker Kevin McCarthy seek an agreement on spending cuts in exchange for raising the country's borrowing limit. McCarthy has called the work requirements a "red line" in negotiations.

"I’m very concerned about it," Moore said in a brief interview outside the House chamber. "Because… people already work. There are already requirements for Medicaid. There are already work requirements for TANF. There are already work requirements for (SNAP).”

"I think that if the Biden administration decides that, oh, it’s harmless to just give them this language about work requirements, that’ll be a preemptive move against our being able to reintroduce the child tax credit," she said.

Moore's comments come as lawmakers on Capitol Hill stare down a potential default that could come as soon as early next month. Negotiations between the Biden administration and Republicans have been underway since House Republicans passed a sweeping proposal to cut federal spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling by about $1.5 trillion, or until March 2024.

That proposal included language that would expand work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependent children to receive SNAP benefits — increasing the age range from 49 to 55. The bill would also make it harder for states to exempt residents from work and job training requirements to receive SNAP benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the higher threshold would mean a loss of SNAP benefits for 275,000 Americans and savings of $11 billion over 10 years.

House Republicans also proposed less flexibility for states to administer the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and a requirement that Medicaid recipients participate in working-related activities at least 80 hours a month.

Biden on Sunday noted that he "voted for tougher aid programs that's in the law now" when he was a senator. He indicated he wouldn't accept changes to Medicaid but didn't rule out the work requirements for SNAP and TANF.

On Wednesday, Biden said he would not accept new work requirements "that go much beyond" the rules in place now.

Moore told the Journal Sentinel that many people who use TANF benefits are either children or elderly people, claiming "there's not a whole lot of money" to be saved from tightening the requirements.

She said she is in communication with debt ceiling negotiators about her concerns, which she has made a centerpiece of her tenure in Congress.

"I’m talking to the four," Moore said, referencing the Republican and Democratic debt ceiling negotiators. "Whatever Biden said, he’s getting this feedback."

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan on Thursday accused Republicans of being "unable to actually put a budget on paper" and suggested removing tax breaks for the wealthy as a way to address the deficit. "Put those on the table," Pocan said.

"It seems like we've moved from a negotiation, so to speak, on the debt ceiling to a budgetary negotiation," Pocan said. "We should also get something when we have the Senate and the White House through those negotiations."

Wisconsin's congressional Republicans, meanwhile, are all supportive of their party's debt ceiling plan.

Tom Tiffany ties debt ceiling to border security bill

But U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany last week told WisPolitics he would also consider a clean debt ceiling raise if Biden and congressional Democrats agreed to pass Republicans' border security bill.

Asked about the comment Thursday, Tiffany told the Journal Sentinel he would "need some really rock solid assurances" that the bill would pass and suggested he would like the Senate to pass the bill as is — an unlikely scenario.

Still, Moore on Thursday indicated she was hopeful congressional Democrats' opposition to work requirements would influence negotiations.

"I’m relying on my ability to break through," Moore said of her pushback on work requirements. "I don’t make demands or anything. But this is very, very important. And I think there’s a consensus in our caucus that we don’t want to negotiate that way."

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gwen Moore pushes back against work requirements in debt ceiling talks