Negotiators Strike Welfare Reform Agreement

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, July 30) -- House and Senate negotiators have reached an agreement on welfare reform legislation, according to a spokeswoman for Sen. John Chaffee (R-R.I.), one of the Senate conferees working on the bill.

The legislation, which ends guaranteed benefits, would set a lifetime limit of five years of public assistance per family. Able-bodied adults would have to go to work after two years.

The agreement means the legislation could reach President Bill Clinton's desk by Friday. Some liberal Democrats are urging him to reject it, as he did two previous welfare measures, because they say the legislation would throw more children into poverty.

However, Clinton was upbeat about the conference committee's work.

"From what I understand they made some good progress," Clinton told reporters during a photo session.

The president noted he had just returned from a news conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and had not received a report yet on the legislation. But he said, "We need to keep the kids in mind...the children need to come out ahead."

"Whatever system we've got to reform welfare, the budgetary considerations and the non-welfare items in the bill shouldn't swamp our objective of ultimately uplifting the children of the country," Clinton said. "That's what we're working toward and it's getting better and I hope that we can work it out, I really do."

Congressional negotiators have made several adjustments in response to Clinton administration concerns. Among the changes:

The food stamp program will not switch to a state-run block grant.
Lawmakers retreated from a proposed prohibition on additional help for new children born to women who are already on welfare.
Although still quite tough on legal immigrants -- the conference committee would deny them welfare, food stamps and Supplemental Security Income -- the states could opt to grant them Medicaid coverage. Legal non-citizens would still be eligible for Head Start, job training and other education assistance.

Negotiators Strike Welfare Reform Agreement

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