Democrats Criticize Republican Plan to Overhaul Welfare System

The Clinton Administration attacked Senate legislation to overhaul the welfare system Wednesday, saying the blueprint undercuts the ability of states to move poor women into jobs by reducing spending on work programs and child care.

The plan, drafted by Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.), chairman of the Finance Committee, turns the government’s primary welfare program over to the states as a block grant and freezes spending at $16.8 billion for each of the next five years.

The legislation cancels the federal government’s 60-year-old promise to support low-income mothers and their children, and gives states the right to deny welfare to immigrant families, teen-age mothers and children born to women receiving aid.

The committee began debating the bill Wednesday, and it quickly ran into familiar criticism from Democrats who believe that the entitlement status of Aid to Families With Dependent Children should be preserved, and from Republicans who say welfare reform should address out-of-wedlock births.

According to committee aides, Packwood’s legislation would cut spending by $26 billion over the next five years, while the Department of Health and Human Services says the number is closer to $31.5 billion.