Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) listed three reasons why a work requirement for Medicaid benefits should be in Republicans’ budget bill – and invoked the apostle Saint Paul in the process, during an interview on Fox Business this week.
The requirement would apply to only able-bodied adults without dependence, Jordan explains in a post on his House website:
“Our bill would restore that link between work and assistance by creating a 100-hour-per-month work activation requirement for able-bodied adults without dependents. Single parents with a child younger than 6 would be exempt from penalties, but they are still guaranteed access to all vocational opportunities offered by the state.”
“Work requirements for able-bodied adults are good for three reasons,” Jordan said:
- They respect the taxpayers who have to fund the benefits.
- It’s good for our economy, which needs workers.
- It’s most important for the individual who goes to work.
“Saint Paul Was a tentmaker,” Rep. Jordan noted:
“He was doing two jobs: he was doing his missionary work and he was also doing manual, building tents. He was doing work. It is good for people.”
“That is something that we are robbing people of, if you just keeping giving handouts. So, I strongly support this concept of work requirements,” Jordan explained:
“It is where you learn to interact with people.
“It is where you learn business skills.
“It is where you just learn to work hard.
“It is so critical. We’ve got to get it back into our culture and I think this is the right way.”
There is ample evidence in the Bible that Saint Paul was, indeed, a tentmaker, regardless of the translation provided by the various versions of the Bible, ranging from the King James to the New American Standard.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) May 15, 2025