St. Paul, MN – On March 25 Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) members sat in at Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton’s office throughout the morning to demand welfare grant increases for poor families in Minnesota. The sit-in was timed to coincide with a Senate hearing on bills pushed by the Welfare Rights Committee.

Victory Delayed: Politicians set increase for 2015

St. Paul, MN – Because of the Welfare Rights Committee’s fierce battle at the State Capitol, the first increase for welfare since 1986 passed and was signed into law by the governor in late May. The Health and Human Services Omnibus bill includes a housing allowance for MFIP families (MFIP is Minnesota’s welfare program for poor families). The Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) won over $40 million dollars (over a 2 year period) that will go directly into the pockets of poor families. Specifically, MFIP families who do not live in subsidized housing will receive an additional $110 dollars a month.

MN welfare grants will be essentially unchanged after 27 years without an increase

St. Paul, MN – The Twin Cites-based Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) issued a statement today, Jan. 22, responding to Governor Dayton’s 2014-2015 budget proposal. It read, “A shameful part of the budget proposal is how it fails the poorest families in Minnesota, by not calling for a substantial increase in Minnesota’s welfare cash grants.”

Minneapolis, MN – “Welfare de-form is a failure and a disaster,” stated Angella Khan, Welfare Rights Committee member. “As we predicted ten years ago, we are seeing more of our families in deeper poverty” Organized by the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) and MN Welfare Rights Coalition (MNWRC) about 100 low-income people, their families and supporters rallied in front of the Federal Building here, Aug. 22, on the ten-year anniversary of the signing of the welfare reform law.

St. Paul, MN – Low-income families spoke out April 15 against the state politicians who are raiding federal welfare (TANF) funds to balance the budget. The tax day protest was organized by the Twin Cities-based Welfare Rights Committee.

St. Paul, MN – Taking the podium at the June 3 meeting of the Legislative Commission to End Poverty by 2020, Angel Buechner, flanked by members of the Welfare Rights Committee, stated, “We are here today at the ‘retreat’ of the Legislative Commission to End Poverty to speak out against the tens of millions of dollars stolen from Minnesota’s poor. Just 15 days ago, on the last day of the Minnesota legislative session, tens of millions of dollars were taken from the TANF fund – the federal block grant for welfare – and used to pay for the state’s budget deficit. Furthermore, not one dime of the tens of millions in federal welfare dollars was spent to put money back into the pockets of poor families.”