IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1235 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that certain welfare 

programs discourage marriage and hurt the institution of the family 

in the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 16, 2024 

Mr. GROTHMAN (for himself, Mrs. MILLER of Illinois, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. 

WEBER of Texas, and Mr. LAMBORN) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

certain welfare programs discourage marriage and hurt 

the institution of the family in the United States. 

Whereas the Federal Government funds 126 separate programs that have a stated purpose of fighting poverty, including 27 cash or general assistance programs, 21 of 

which are food-aid programs, and 33 of which are housing programs; 

Whereas means-tested programs such as child-care vouchers, 

section 8 housing choice vouchers, Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families determine eligibility and allotment of benefits by counting individuals 

related by blood, marriage, or adoption as members of 

the family unit, thereby excluding non-parent cohabiters’ 


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•HRES 1235 IH 

income from consideration and discouraging cohabiters 

from marrying for fear of a loss of benefits; 

Whereas means-tested programs such as the Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental 

Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, 

school meals, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program determine eligibility and allocation of benefits by counting all members living within a household, 

which discourages single parents from raising children in 

a two-parent home; 

Whereas tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit 

also penalize marriage, as one member of an unmarried 

couple can receive the full benefit when claiming the couple’s child, but a married couple with the same income 

may be pushed out of the eligibility range for the full 

benefit; 

Whereas Pell Grant and Federal student loan eligibility and 

allocation is determined through the information reported 

on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid 

(FAFSA), including the individual’s expected family contribution, which discourages marriage for fear that the 

combined income of a married couple would result in a 

smaller financial aid award; 

Whereas the combined penalty associated with all these programs, should a single parent of two children choose to 

get married, can result in as much as $14,544 annually 

in decreased benefits; 

Whereas the War on Poverty has promoted this decline in 

marriage by penalizing low-income parents who choose to 

marry by reducing their means-tested benefits; 


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•HRES 1235 IH 

Whereas, before the start of the failed War on Poverty program in 1964, only 7 percent of children in the United 

States were born out of wedlock, a number that now 

stands at over 40 percent; and 

Whereas removing one parent, usually the male, from his or 

her child can have a harmful effect on the child’s life: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) affirms that strong marriages contribute to 

3 healthy communities and thriving children; 

4 (2) recognizes that certain welfare programs 

5 discourage marriage and hurt the institution of the 

6 family in the United States; 

7 (3) believes that the Federal Government 

8 should treat everyone equally and that it is wrong to 

9 discriminate against parents who choose to get mar10 ried; 

11 (4) supports action to review government pro12 grams, tax credits, or policies that put financial pen13 alties on married couples as opposed to their unmar14 ried peers; and 

15 (5) supports action to reform benefits or end 

16 programs to eliminate these penalties. 

Æ 


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