WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) expressed his strong support for implementing work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents for all means-tested programs to reduce government spending. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

“We are now grinding out the reconciliation process to make sure that the tax cuts that expire at the end of this year do not expire and we are able to prevent the largest tax increase in American history—a multitrillion-dollar tax increase were we to be unsuccessful.”

“Perhaps one of the most difficult parts of this process will be to identify savings to meet budget targets in order to offset the necessary costs in this one big, beautiful bill.”

“One of the ways we can, I think, make good progress on cutting down on some of the excess spending that Washington seems to always fall into is by implementing work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents for all means-tested programs.”

“The U.S. government spends $1 trillion on means-tested programs, and work requirements are a commonsense way to reform these programs and to save hard-earned tax dollars of American working families that are now spent on people who can work and should work, but don’t work.”

“More than 62 percent of able-bodied adults who received Medicaid benefits do not work at all.”

“There is dignity that comes with work: self-respect, providing for your family, and you’re contributing to your community.”

“Opening our borders to criminals and who knows what and granting them work authorizations while able-bodied adult Americans – men sit on the sidelines has never been the answer. Yet, that seemed to be the answer that the Biden administration gave us.”

“This policy will help us get our fiscal house in order, and it will help us address the societal ills that our country is facing by encouraging greater workforce participation.”