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 pro-
grams that have a stated purpose of fighting poverty, in-
cluding 27 cash or general assistance programs, 21 of 
which are food-aid programs, and 33 of which are hous-
ing programs; 
Whereas means-tested programs such as child-care vouchers, 
section 8 housing choice vouchers, Medicaid, and Tem-
porary Assistance for Needy Families determine eligi-
bility 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 Assist-
ance Program determine eligibility and allocation of bene-
fits 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 cou-
ple’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 con-
tribution, 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 pro-
grams, 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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Whereas, before the start of the failed War on Poverty pro-
gram 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) affirms that strong marriages contribute to 
healthy communities and thriving children; 
(2) recognizes that certain welfare programs 
discourage marriage and hurt the institution of the 
family in the United States; 
(3) believes that the Federal Government 
should treat everyone equally and that it is wrong to 
discriminate against parents who choose to get mar-
ried; 
(4) supports action to review government pro-
grams, tax credits, or policies that put financial pen-
alties on married couples as opposed to their unmar-
ried peers; and 
(5) supports action to reform benefits or end 
programs to eliminate these penalties. 
Æ 
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