Brett Favre Testifies Before Congress for TANF Reform; Announces Parkinson’s Diagnosis
On Tuesday, as he testified in front of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee in Washington, D.C., former NFL player & Mississippian Brett Favre revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“Now I know, TANF is one of our country’s most important welfare programs to help people in need,” Favre testified to the members of House Ways and Means, “Importantly, I have learned that nobody was, or is, watching how TANF funds are spent.”
The former Southern Miss & Green Bay Packer quarterback has been embroiled in controversy since 2020 when it was revealed by Mississippi State Auditor Shad White that he had allegedly been paid over a million dollars in speaking fees through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which has been repaid.
Although, he still owes interest off that money, according to Mississippi Auditor Shad White. Although Favre has not been criminally charged, a civil complaint has been brought against him.
In his testimony, Favre maintained his innocence and claimed that top Mississippi officials “failed to protect federal TANF funds from fraud and abuse” and said that other officials are blaming him for the fraud.
“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre stated in his testimony. “And I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, this is also a cause dear to my heart.”
The Kiln native pled with Congress to pass bills regarding TANF reform, “I urge Congress to put TANF guardrails in place to ensure that what happened in Mississippi doesn’t happen again,” Favre said at the conclusion of his opening statement. “I urge Congress to pass the TANF reforms, including in the committee member bills, reforms designed to target funds to those truly most in need, to help low-income Americans find and keep a job, to limit how states can spend TANF grants and reduce wasteful bureaucracy, and to protect taxpayer funds from fraud and abuse.”
After testimony today, Favre took to X (formerly Twitter) to thank Congress for allowing him to testify and to publicly announce his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
