GOP Almost Dares Clinton To Veto Welfare Bill

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, July 24) -- As lawmakers prepare to reconcile House and Senate versions of welfare reform, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) told President Bill Clinton they are unlikely to bow to his concerns about the legislation.

"We will not support any further changes that result in the passage of a weak welfare reform bill," they wrote in a letter to the president. Seeking to raise the political stakes, Lott and Gingrich declared, "Given the many promises you have made to end welfare as we know it, a veto would represent a serious breach of your word."

White House spokesman Mike McCurry said the administration remains "very hopeful" for a bill the president can sign. Clinton is concerned by bill's impact on children, the $60 billion in savings over six years and reductions in food stamps and benefits to legal immigrants.

He wants the final bill to allow states to use block grant funds for vouchers designated for children of people who have exhausted their welfare eligibility. That, Lott told reporters, is merely "a way to get around that five-year limit."

Among the differences that need to be resolved in conference committee:

The House, but not the Senate, denies federal funds for additional children born to women already on welfare rolls, but allows states to exempt the rule.
The House, but not the Senate, lets states change food stamps into a block grant program, in some cases.
The House would place a three-month lifetime eligibility limit on the able-bodied if they fail to work at least 20 hours per week. The Senate allows four months a year without work requirements.

GOP Almost Dares Clinton To Veto Welfare Bill

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