If the AFDC entitlement was going to be replaced by a block grantwhich was already beginning to happen through Federal waiversafter the vetoes we successfully pressured the Republican majority to make substantial improvements in day care. health care. benefits for severely disabled children and to retain the basic structure of foster care. food stamps and the school lunch program. In a word. this is a different bill than those vetoed by the President. The bill before us is at its very weakest in two areas essentially unrelated to AFDCfood stamps and legal immigrants. Reform was needed in these areas. but surely not punishment nor a mere search for dollars. as was true of the majoritys approach. The question is whether the defects in those areas should sink changes in our broken welfare system.
Keywords matched
immigrants