FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 7, 2024

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CONTACT

J. Robertson, Public Affairs Director

james@opportunityarkansas.org

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OPPORTUNITY ARKANSAS CALLS FOR WELFARE REFORM TO BE A TOP PRIORITY OF INCOMING 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Upcoming session should be “the welfare reform session,” Horton says

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Conway, AR – In response to Tuesday night’s historic election results, Opportunity Arkansas (OA) recognizes the clear mandate voters have given to President-Elect Donald J. Trump, his incoming administration, and policymakers across the country: real change.

‍Opportunity Arkansas calls for decisive action to address Arkansas’s generational dependency crisis through meaningful welfare reform. This is a pivotal opportunity to align state policies with federal priorities to reduce dependency, promote self-sufficiency, and ensure the state’s welfare programs put the truly needy first.

OA Founder and CEO Nic Horton offered the following statement in response to Tuesday night’s overwhelming victory for conservatives across the state and country:

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“Voters across the country sent a loud and clear message on Election Day, from Washington, D.C. to Ouachita County, Arkansas: They are ready for real change.

This election has redefined the landscape for cooperation between states and the federal government, and Arkansas should lead the way.

We’ve made massive strides in education and public safety reform in the last two years. Now, to truly supercharge our economy, solve our workforce shortage, and take Arkansas to the top, policymakers must get serious about solving our generational plague of long-term government dependency that robs our neighbors of purpose, hope, and opportunity.

A second Trump administration is a second chance for Arkansas policymakers to go bigger and bolder. We’ve already shown the country that we have the ability to lead on welfare reform, whether it’s fixing our broken cash welfare system, promoting work in food stamps, or blazing the trail for Medicaid work requirements under Governor Hutchinson. It’s time for us to lead again.

Medicaid reform should be at the top of the list and this upcoming legislative session should be the ‘welfare reform session’ that changes the mindset and direction of our state for generations to come.

With willing partners in Washington, we can finally fix our broken Medicaid program that’s breaking our budget, punishing work, and leaving the truly needy behind. And we can reject further welfare expansions that would trap Arkansans in dependency. Voters have sent a mandate for changing course and rejecting the failed welfare policies of the past.

To policymakers across Arkansas who are ready to get to work and seize this moment, we stand ready to partner with you. This is an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we cannot waste it.

Let’s go.”

Just last month, OA published a research study that outlines several homegrown policy ideas for real change in Medicaid. The report, “Getting Back to Work: How Arkansas Can Lead the Nation in Medicaid Reform Once Again,” outlines several specific measures to restore Medicaid’s original purpose and protect the truly needy, including re-establishing work requirements for able-bodied adults.

Medicaid was originally designed for the truly vulnerable but has increasingly become a long-term welfare trap for able-bodied, working-age adults who now make up roughly one-third of the program in Arkansas. The program also dominates a record amount of the state budget.

Arkansas’s previous Medicaid work requirement was the first ever in the country and approved by the first Trump administration. It was on track to save taxpayers more than $300 million per year before it was derailed by a liberal, activist judge for procedural reasons.

For meetings, bookings, or interviews, contact Opportunity Arkansas Public Affairs Director J. Robertson via email at james@opportunityarkansas.org.

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About Opportunity Arkansas Foundation

Opportunity Arkansas Foundation is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization on a mission to renew the Land of Opportunity by simplifying government and solving generational problems for the next generation. OA stands ready to partner with state policymakers who share these goals. To learn more, visit www.OpportunityArkansas.org.