The Vermont Commission on Women (VCW) announced today that it opposes Gov. Peter Shumlin’s proposal to cap welfare benefits on the grounds that it disproportionately affects women.
The VCW is the state agency tasked with improving opportunities for women.
Cary Brown, the executive director, said speaking out about the Shumlin Administration’s policy initiatives is a somewhat out of the ordinary tack for them to take.
“It doesn’t happen often but it is something that we do,” Brown said.
Shumlin’s proposal calls for terminating welfare benefits for families who have been on the program for five years or longer. It would apply retroactively starting in October.
Brown explained the basis for the vote in a written statement: “These are Vermont’s most fragile and vulnerable families. The Commission believes that budgetary concerns should not be balanced on the backs of those least likely to be able to function without government assistance.”
The fact that the majority of households on Reach Up are headed by women was a driving factor in VCW’s decision to speak out.
The 16-member commission voted yesterday to formally oppose the cuts to Reach Up.
