The reason. Mr. Munos. though a legal Immigrant. wasnt a citizenand therefore stood to lose his benefits because of welfare overhaul. "+Theyre going to cut me off." be told friends after receiving the letter. "If I had a gun right now. I would kill myself." FUNDS MAY BF aRaSORtD Its difficult to know what causes any suicide. or what. other demons might have haunted Mr. Munoz. flt in the debate over welfare pulley. the laborers story provides just the sort of powerful anecdote that can affect the course of events in Washington. Ronald Reagans tales of welfare queens in CadIllais helped spark the drive that led the government to revise the welfare system lest year. And now tales of hardworking immigrants like Mr. Munoc are leading policymakers from both Parties to question whether some of those changes went too far. Leaders of both parties now support restorIng some of the funding out last year from benefits for legal immigrants. although they disagree on how much. Republican legislators. under prossure from GOP governors and worried about the public relations problems that stories like Mr. Munozs could couse. have already proposed adding back �2 billion of funding for Immigrants over the next two year--mostly for SI and food stamps. President Clinton and the Democrats are proposing adding hack much moremore than $14 billion over five years. If the White IHoue and Republican leaders are able to reach a budget agreement. it will probably Include a compromise on increased immigrant funding somewhere in between. In Mr. Muno:s case. the sad Irony is that he ned not have lost his benefits. The law requires Immigrants to either become citl. zens or prove that they have worked 10 years or more in the U.S. to keep their benefits. Mr. Munoz had worked In this country since the late 1040s. and a welfare counselor told him be could obtain an exemption if he could document his employment history.
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