here is the q&a. I don't know where Dennis' stuff is.==================== ATTACHMEN
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Campaign Finance Reform
Question: Isn't hypocritical to keep calling for campaign finance reform when you continue
to attend Democratic fundraisers?
Answer: We have challenged the Republican party to join with the Democratic party to
voluntarily restrict soft money contributions. Already the Democratic National
Committee has agreed to my request to unilaterally stop taking money from
non-citizens and to limit large soft money contributions. However, I believe it is
unfair for the Democratic party to go any further to unilaterally disarm in the face
of the Republican party's absolute refusal to voluntarily restrict their fundraising
In any way.
Question: Given that you have made campaign finance reform a top priority for your second
term, why didn't you raise passage ofreform legislation during the bipartisan
leadership meeting two weeks ago? .
Answer: The fact is that I did raise campaign finance reform as one of my priorities during
that meeting. We agreed during the meeting that the bipartisan priorities would
include those issues, such as the balanced budget, juvenile justice reform and
others, that should gamer widespread bipartisan support and could move quickly.
It is clear to me that there is still a lot of debate on the Hill about the right way to
reform the campaign finance system.
Question: What actions have you taken to insure that campaign finance reform is enacted by
your July 4th deadline?
Answer: We are making every effort to insure that bipartisan reform passes by July 4.
I have had meetings at the White House with the lead sponsors of bipartisan
reform -- Senators McCain and Feingold and Representatives Shays and Meehan
and I have also met with the House sponsors of the legislation. As I have done
with other issues that I have designated as a priority, such as the crime bill and
welfare reform, I have appointed several senior White House officials to lead our
effort to pass McCain Feingold/Shays Meehan. They have met on several
occasions with outside reform groups and are working closely with hill staff on
ways to insure that the legislation is enacted by July 4. In addition, we will
shortly announce a significant initiative to build grassroots support across the
country for passage of real campaign finance reform.
Welfare Reform: Welfare-To-Work
Question: You have promised to help States and local areas in ensuring there are job
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opportunities for welfare recipients who lose benefits under welfare reform.
How does the Budget fulfill your commitment, and how would the program
operate?
Answer: The 1998 Budget includes $3 billion over the FY s 1998 through 2000 for
Welfare-to-Work Jobs to help communities move one million of the
hardest-to-employ welfare recipients into jobs by the year 2000. Approximately
$1 billion in mandatory funding is included annually through 2000; States may
use their T ANF grant to complement Welfare-to-Work Jobs for similar activities
if they so choose.
To complement the $3 billion Welfare-to-Work Jobs proposal, the FY 1998
Budget includes an enhanced and expanded Work Opportunity Tax Credit. First,
the WOTC would be enhanced for long-term welfare recipients for three years.
This credit would allow employers who hire welfare recipients to claim a 50
percent tax credit on the first $10,000 of wages paid to that person for two years.
Wages may include the cost of training, health insurance, and day care. Second,
the WOTC would be expanded to make a new population eligible for the existing
base credit for the next three years. Employers could claim the WOTC for hiring
able-bodied childless adults aged 18-50 who are subject to the work requirements
under the food stamp legislative proposal in the budget. However, these
employers would not be eligible for the enhanced credit offered for long-term
welfare recipients.
Question: How is the Administration going to move people from welfare to work when there
are nojobs?
Answer: I believe jobs are available and that the welfare rolls will continue to decline.
Minimum wage jobs have always been open, but the package of welfare benefits
previously available offered more to recipients than a minimum wage job. Now,
with increases in the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care subsidies, and other
provisions that makes work pay, work is a more attractive option than welfare.
Once working, former welfare recipients will gain the employment experience
necessary to move up the ladder of work.
But, we will need more jobs -- and jobs that pay more than the minimum wage if
we are ensure the success of the new welfare law. The combination of private
sector commitments, such as those made by the CEOs with whom I recently met,
economic development, tax credits, additional welfare-to-work funds, and a focus
on jobs in the growing technology industry will create the new, higher paying jobs
we need.
Question Why do you need another new welfare to work program?
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Answer. Passing the welfare law was an historic accomplishment that represents a
significant step forward in social policy for this country, as was the aggressive
welfare waiver strategy I pursued before I was sent a welfare bill I could sign.
And we are seeing results already. Since the beginning of my first term, the
welfare rolls have fallen by an unprecedented 2.5 million people. Some of this
drop is due to our strong economy, but a good deal is due to the aggressive
welfare waiver strategy and the new welfare law. However there is more work to
do.
Now that the welfare law has passed, we have to work tirelessly to ensure its
success.
To truly succeed, states and localities need additional funds targeted specifically
toward helping the hardest to place welfare recipients find jobs. The Welfare to
Work initiative would provide funds to states and their cities that could then be
leveraged with existing welfare to work funds in creative efforts to move large
numbers of hard to place recipients in to the labor market.
And too, I will continue to challenge and encourage the business community, the
faith community, states, localities, and others to put together plans that will move
welfare recipients permanently into the workforce.
Question: During your State of the Union address, you announced that five prominent
CEOs had joined the effort to help move weltare recipients to work. However,
recent press stories indicate that these companies have done little to date to actually
hire weitare recipients. Further, the one company that has done the most --
Marriot -- was not one of the five you announced Can you comment?
Answer. During my State of the Union address, I was thrilled to announce that five of this
country's major corporations had pledged to work with me in the effort to move
welfare recipients permanently into the workforce. In early January of this year, I
met with 14 CEOs interested in becoming involved in the welfare to work effort.
The five companies I announced during the State of the Union emerged from the
CEO meeting as the companies that wanted to take a leadership role in this effort.
The CEO of Marriot was invited to the initial meeting but he unfortunately had a
conflict and could not attend. However, Marriot has a top notch welfare to work
program already in place that we are reviewing and will encourage other
corporations to emulate. I hope Marriot, as well as all of the corporations I met
with in early January, will work with me and others to make the new welfare law
a success.
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Question: What has the White House done to hire welfare recipients since the new welfare
law was signed?
Answer: Just last week, James King, Director of the U.S. Office for Personnel Management
completed a report outlining several options the Federal Government might
pursue to hire welfare recipients. He and his staff came up with some very good
ideas and I am currently reviewing those ideas. I hope to have something to
announce very soon.
Question: How many welfare recipients will states have to put to work to meet the work
requirements?
Answer: For states to meet the work requirements included in the new welfare law, states
must be move an additional 1 million recipients into work nationwide by the year
2000.
Question: You have mentioned several times that under the new welfare law, employers may
turn the welfare andfood stamp checks into temporary wage subsidies. How
does this actually work?
Answer: As of August 22, 1996 when you signed the welfare law, 11 states had received
waivers to modify work supplementation rules. Most of those waivers sought to
combine AFDC and food stamp benefits to subsidize jobs. Oregon pioneered
this concept. HHS is currently gathering more recent statistics on work
supplementation since you signed the law. In Oregon, both private and public
sector jobs are subsidized for up to six months per placement. The job is
subsidized at minimum wage and gives employers cashed out AFDC and food
stamps benefits to cover the minimum wage. In addition, the employee is entitled
to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). If the minimum wage and the EITC do
not bring the recipient up to the poverty line, the employer must make up the
difference by paying up to $1 dollar an hour over the reimbursed minimum wage
or may put $1 for every hour worked into an Individual Development Account
(IDA). Once a recipient is hired in a full-time, unsubsidized job, she becomes
eligible for her wage, the EITC, and food stamps coupons previously used to
subsidized her wage. Such a system creates an escalating financial incentive that
always makes full-time, unsubsidized work the most attractive option
Welfare Reform: Food Stamps
Question: The new welfare law cuts off food stamps for non-disabled adults who
refuse to work after three months of benefits, and allows the Department
of Agriculture to exempt areas with high unemployment. Why does the
Administration want to give food stamp benefits to men and women who
refuse to work?
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Answer: Enacting the welfare law was an historic accomplishment that represents
a significant step forward in social policy for this country. However, as I
said when I signed this bill, several provisions of the law have nothing to
do with the goal of welfare reform -- putting people to work. Instead, they
cut back on our vital food safety net and are unfair to immigrants who
have entered this country legally.
I strongly support work requirements. But the welfare law's harsh and
unreasonable time limit of 3 months in 36 cuts off people who want to work but
can't find jobs. In my budget, I proposed an alternative: a real and tough work
requirement without arbitrary cut-offs.
Under my proposal, those who refused to work or refused to take advantage ofa
work opportunity would face tough new penalties. We would limit food stamps to
6 months out of 12. This policy would encourage work while giving those out of
work the transitory help they need to get back on their feet. We proposed new
funding and a wage supplementation option to expand the number of work slots
available to this group by nearly 400,000 over five years. I am looking forward
to working with Congress to enact this sensible proposal.
Background:
As of March 1, states will begin to cut off food stamp benefits for people who have not
met the new work requirement in the welfare law.
Under the law, able-bodied childless adults between the ages of 18-50 are not permitted
to get food stamps for more than 3 months in a 3-year period, unless they are working at
least 20 hours a week.
USDA can waive the work requirement in cities or counties with high unemployment.
To date, USDA has granted waivers to 23 states that exempt specified counties or cities
with high unemployment.
Despite these exemptions, 600,000 individuals will lose their food stamp
eligibility in FY98 due to this provision. Under the Administration's proposal,
approximately 35,000 individuals would lose eligibility in FY98. Unlike the
welfare law, the Administration's proposal targets tough sanctions at those
individuals who are unwilling to work and to play by the rules.
Welfare Reform: Benefits To Legal Immigrants
Question: Immigrants shouldn't be coming to the U.S. to get on welfare. Why is the
Administration making restoration of these benefits a priority?
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Answer: I believe that legal immigrants should have the same opportunity, and
bear the same responsibility, as other members of our society. The
welfare law denies most legal immigrants access to fundamental safety
net programs unless they become citizens -- even though they are in the
U.S. legally, are working and paying taxes and are responsible members
of our communities. My Administration has always supported making
individuals who encourage their relatives to emigrate to the United States
responsible for the immigrant's well being. However, as a nation, we
should not turn our backs on anyone who has lost their ability to earn a
living due to injury, disease, or illness.
Consequently, my budget proposes to make legal immigrants who
become disabled after entering the United States eligible for SSI and
Medicaid.
My budget would also provide poor immigrant children the same Medicaid
health care coverage low-income citizen children receive.
The United States admits refugees and asylees into this country on a
humanitarian basis. My budget proposes to lengthen the five-year
exemption for refugees from the ban from five to seven years in order to
give this group adequate time to naturalize.
Finally, the law denies food stamps to most legal immigrants. My budget
would delay the cutoffs from April 1, 1997 to August, 1997 in order to give
immigrants more time to naturalize.
Welfare Reform Fix Legislative Proposals
Question: You say you are ready to work with Congress to fix the immigrant andfood stamp
parts of the welfare law, but the Republican leadership says the bill is fine as it is.
Even some Democrats are saying the law shouldn't be changed until we have
had a chance to see how it works. Doesn't this mean your proposals have no
chance of being enacted?
Answer: I think it is very significant that the nation's Governors are now on record as
recognizing that the cuts in benefits to legal immigrants are too harsh and need to
be addressed -- even though their final resolution was softened at the last minute
at the request of the Congressional leadership.
As the new welfare law is being implemented, the Governors are gaining a new
appreciation of some parts of the bill that I have had a problem with from the
beginning -- those parts that are not related to putting people to work. This is
particularly true of those Governors in states with large numbers of legal
immigrants. They are now looking more carefully at their state budgets and the
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fact that many legal immigrants who are disabled, many in nursing homes, will
lose their SSI and Medicaid over the summer. In addition to noting that these
provisions are unfair, they can see the potential costs to their own state budgets if
. they make the decision to ameliorate those cuts.
I think that, over time, more and more people will come to see the harm that these
provisions could do to hard-working people who came to this country and,
through no fault of their own, became disabled and could no longer support their
families.
Also, I truly believe we are seeing some real changes in our relationship with the
Congress. It appears that we have gotten past some of the unproductive ways of
doing business we have had over the past two years, and that we are learning how
to work with one another in a far more constructive fashion.
Question: Last summer when you said you would sign the welfare bill there were
press reports that you wanted to restore about $14 billion in cuts. Now
we understand your budget includes $18 billion in legislative restorations.
Are you proposing to restore more in food stamps and benefits to
immigrants that you were last year?
Answer: No, absolutely not. The budget includes $18 billion in legislative
proposals for Food Stamps and immigrants that correspond directly to the
commitments I made at the time I signed the bill. Because of a number
of technical reestimates, the budget estimate for these legislative
proposals is now higher.
The commitment I made to a $3 billion program to help the private sector,
states, and cities move welfare recipients to work was always separate
from that total, and was paid for separately elsewhere in my budget.
Here are q&a from the DPC.
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Question: Isn't it hypocritical to keep calling for campaign finance reform when you
continue to attend Democratic fundraisers?
Answer: We have challenged the Republican party to join with the Democratic party to
voluntarily restrict soft money contributions. Already the Democratic National
Committee has agreed to my request to unilaterally stop taking money from non-
citizens and to limit large soft money contributions. However, I believe it is
unfair for the Democratic party to go any further to unilaterally disarm in the face
of the Republican party's absolute refusal to voluntarily restrict their fundraising
In anyway.
Question: Given that you kave made campaign finance reform a top priority for your second
term, why didn't you raise passage of reform legislation during the bipartisan
leadership meeting two weeks ago?
Answer: The fact is that I did raise campaign finance reform as one of my priorities during
that meeting. We agreed during the meeting that the bipartisan priorities would
include those issues, such as the balanced budget, juvenile justice reform and
others, that would gamer widespread bipartisan support and could move quickly.
It is clear to me that there is still a lot of debate on the Hill about the right way to
reform the campaign finance system.
Question: What actions have you taken to ensure that campaign finance reform is enacted
by your July 4th deadline?
Answer: Weare making every effort to ensure that bipartisan reform passes by July 4.
I have had meetings at the White House with the lead sponsors of bipartisan
reform -- Senators McCain and Feingold and Representatives Shays and Meehan
and I have also met with the House sponsors of the legislation. As I have done
with other issues that I have designated as a priority, such as the crime bill and
welfare reform, I have appointed several senior White House officials to lead our
effort to pass McCain Feingold/Shays Meehan. They have met on several
occasions with outside reform groups and are working closely with hill staff on
ways to ensure that the legislation is enacted by July 4. In addition, we will
shortly announce a significant initiative to build grassroots support across the
country for passage of real campaign finance reform.
Automated Records Management System
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Question: How are you going to move people from welfare to work when there are no jobs?
Answer: I believe jobs are available and I expect the welfare rolls to continue to decline.
Minimum wage jobs have always been open, but the package of welfare benefits
previously available offered more to recipients than a minimum wage job. Now,
with increases in the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care subsidies, and other
provisions that makes work pay, welfare recipients can afford to take those
available minimum wage jobs. Once working, former welfare recipients will gain
the employment experience necessary to move up the ladder of work.
But, we will need more jobs -- and jobs that pay more than the minimum wage if
we are ensure the success of the new welfare law. I believe that a combination of
private sector commitments, such as those made by the CEOs with whom I
recently met, economic development, tax credits, additional welfare-to-work
funds, and a focus on jobs in the growing technology industry will create the new,
higher paying jobs we need.
Question: During your State of the Union address, you announced that five prominent
CEOs had joined the effort to help move welfare recipients to work. However,
recent press stories indicate that these companies have done litde to date to actually
hire welfare recipients. Can you comment?
Answer: During my State of the Union address, I was very pleased to announce that five of
this country's major corporations had pledged to work with me in the effort to
move welfare recipients permanently into the workforce. These five companies
had pledged to take a leadership role in the welfare-to-work effort during a
meeting I held earlier this year with a larger number of CEOs. These are not
necessarily companies that have programs up and running; in fact, most of them
don't. They are companies that have made a serious commitment -- and that I'm
confident will live up to that commitment -- to develop programs and initiatives to
get people off the welfare rolls and into real jobs.
Question: What has the White House done to hire welfare recipients since the new welfare
law was signed? .
Answer: Just last week, the Director of the U.S. Office for Personnel Management
submitted a report to the White House outlining several options the Federal
Government might pursue to hire welfare recipients. He and his staff came up
with some very good ideas and I am currently reviewing those ideas. I hope to
have something to announce very soon.
Automated Records Management System
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government generally. We will also work hard, based on the steps we take In the federal
government as a whole, to open up opportunities for welfare recipients at the White
House.
Automated Records Management System
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Question: The new welfare law cuts off food stamps after three months for
unemployed non-disabled adults, and allows the Department of
Agriculture to exempt areas with high unemployment. Why does the
Administration want to give food stamp benefits to men and women who
refuse to work?
Answer: Enacting the welfare law was an historic accomplishment that represents
a significant step forward in social policy for this country. However, as I
said when I signed this bill, several provisions of the law have nothing to
do with the goal of welfare reform -- putting people to work. Instead, they
cut back on our vital food safety net and are unfair to immigrants who
have entered this country legally.
I strongly support work requirements. But the welfare law's harsh and
unreasonable time limit of 3 months in 36 cuts off people who want to work but
can't find jobs. In my budget, I proposed an alternative: a real and tough work
requirement without arbitrary cut-offs.
Under my proposal, those who refused to work or refused to take advantage of a
work opportunity would face tough new penalties. We would limit food stamps to
6 months out of 12. This policy would encourage work while giving those out of
work the transitory help they need to get back on their feet. We proposed new
funding and a wage supplementation option to expand the number of work slots
available to this group by nearly 400,000 over five years. I am looking forward to
working with Congress to enact this sensible proposal.
Background:
As of March 1, states will begin to cut off food stamp benefits for people who have not
met the new work requirement in the welfare law.
Under the law, able-bodied childless adultsbetween the ages of 18-50 are not permitted
to get food stamps for more than 3 months in a 3-year period, unless they are working at
least 20 hours a week.
USDA can waive the work requirement in cities or counties with high unemployment. To
date, USDA has granted waivers to 23 states that exempt specified counties or cities with
high unemployment.
Despite these exemptions, 600,000 individuals will lose their food stamp
eligibility in FY98 due to this provision. Under the Administration's proposal,
approximately 35,000 individuals would lose eligibility in FY98. Unlike the
welfare law, the Administration's proposal targets tough sanctions at those
individuals who are unwilling to work and to play by the rules.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: Immigrants shouldn't be coming to the U.S. to get on welfare. Why is the
Administration making restoration of these benefits a priority?
Answer: I believe that legal immigrants should have the same opportunity, and
bear the same responsibility, as other members of our society. The
welfare law denies most legal immigrants access to fundamental safety
net programs unless they become citizens -- even though they are in the
U.S. legally, are working and paying taxes and are responsible members
of our communities. My Administration has always supported making
individuals who encourage their relatives to emigrate to the United States
responsible for the immigrant's well being. However; as a nation, we
should not turn our backs on anyone who has lost their ability to earn a
living due to injury, disease, or illness.
Consequently, my budget proposes to make legal immigrants who
become disabled after entering the United States eligible for SSI and
Medicaid.
My budget would also provide poor immigrant children the same Medicaid
health care coverage low-income citizen children receive.
The United States admits refugees and asylees into this country on a
humanitarian basis. My budget proposes to lengthen the five-year
exemption for refugees from the ban from five to seven years in order to
give this group adequate time to naturalize.
Finally, the law denies food stamps to most legal immigrants. My budget
would delay the cutoffs from April 1, 1997 to August, 1997 in order to give
immigrants more time to naturalize.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: You've said you're ready to work with Congress to fix the immigrant and food
stamp parts of the welfare law, but some in the Republican leadership say the bill
is fine as it is. Doesn't this mean your proposals will be dead on arrival?
Answer: I think it is very significant that the nation's governors are now on record as
recognizing that the cuts in benefits to legal immigrants are too harsh and need to
be addressed -- even though their formal resolution was softened at the last minute
at the request of the Congressional leadership.
As the new welfare law is being implemented, the governors are gaining a new
appreciation of some parts of the bill that I have had a problem with from the
beginning -- those parts that are not related to putting people to work. This is
particularly true of governors in states with large numbers of legal immigrants.
They are now recognizing that many legal immigrants who are disabled, many in
nursing homes, will lose their SSI and Medicaid over the summer. In addition to
seeing that these provisions are unfair, they can see the potential costs to their own
state budgets if they make the decision to ameliorate these cuts.
I think that over time more and more people will come to see the harm that these
provisions could do to hard-working people who came to this country and through
no fault of their own, became disabled and could no longeer support their
families.
Also, I truly believe we are seeing some real changes in our relationship with the
Congress. It appears that we have gotten past some of the unproductive ways of
doing business we have had over the past two years, and that we are learning how
to work with one another in a far more constructive fashion.
Question: Last summer when you said you would sign the welfare bill there were
press reports that you wanted to restore about $14 billion in cuts. Now we
understand your budget includes $18 billion in legislative restorations.
Are you proposing to restore more in food stamps and benefits to
immigrants that you were last year?
Answer: No, absolutely not. The budget includes $18 billion in legislative
proposals for Food Stamps and immigrants that correspond directly to the
commitments I made at the time I signed the bill. Because of a number of
technical reestimates, the budget estimate for these legislative proposals
is now higher.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
states, and cities move welfare recipients to work was always separate
from that total, and was paid for separately elsewhere in my budget.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: You proposed national tests in reading and math in your State of the Union
address. Yet the tests are not required, and you proposed no new funding to help
students pass these tests. Why do you think these tests will make a difference?
Answer: These tests reflect widely accepted national standards for 4th grade reading and
8th grade math. The standards are higher than those in many states, which means
they will lead to higher expectations for our students. The tests exist already, but
are only given to a small sample of students at anyone time. My plan is to make
those tests available for every state so they can be given to every 4th and 8th grade
student. Then students, parents and teachers will know how they measure up
against tough national standards.
My balanced budget plan provides significant increases for federal elementary and
secondary school programs that will help prepare students to meet these tougher
standards, including significant increases for Goals 2000, Title 1, teacher training,
charter schools, and my Technology Literacy Challenge fund. I've also proposed
an America Reads Challenge, to mobilize an army of 1 million volunteer tutors, to
help students read by the third grade. All of these programs help improve
teaching and learning in the classroom.
The point of these tests is to lift our students up, by setting a high standard for
them, and then preparing them to meet the standards. Federal funds are important
here. So are funds provided by states and local governments, which make up 94%
of spending for schools. But these national tests will require a national response,
from every school, every teacher, every parent and every student.
Finally, I am pleased at the response this testing proposal has already received.
Two weeks ago I spoke in Maryland, and the President of the State Board of
Education announced that Maryland would participate in these tests. Just this
morning, the Washington Post carried an endorsement of this plan from two
former Republican assistant secretaries of education [Diane Ravitch and Checker
Finn]. So we are beginning to move forward on this plan, and these tests will
make a real difference.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
==================== ATTACHMENT 1 ====================
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
Unable to convert ARMS_EXT: [ATTACH.D66]MAIL490094557.016 to ASCII,
The following is a HEX DUMP:
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Question: Isn't it hypocritical to keep calling for campaign finance reform when you
continue to attend Democratic fundraisers?
Answer: We have challenged the Republican party to join with the Democratic party to
voluntarily restrict soft money contributions. Already the Democratic National
Committee has agreed to my request to unilaterally stop taking money from non-
citizens and to limit large soft money contributions. However, I believe it is
unfair for the Democratic party to go any further to unilaterally disarm in the face
of the Republican party's absolute refusal to voluntarily restrict their fundraising
In anyway.
Question: Given that you kave made campaign finance reform a top priority for your second
term, why didn't you raise passage of reform legislation during the bipartisan
leadership meeting two weeks ago?
Answer: The fact is that I did raise campaign finance reform as one of my priorities during
that meeting. We agreed during the meeting that the bipartisan priorities would
include those issues, such as the balanced budget, juvenile justice reform and
others, that would gamer widespread bipartisan support and could move quickly.
It is clear to me that there is still a lot of debate on the Hill about the right way to
reform the campaign finance system.
Question: What actions have you taken to ensure that campaign finance reform is enacted
by your July 4th deadline?
Answer: Weare making every effort to ensure that bipartisan reform passes by July 4.
I have had meetings at the White House with the lead sponsors of bipartisan
reform -- Senators McCain and Feingold and Representatives Shays and Meehan
and I have also met with the House sponsors of the legislation. As I have done
with other issues that I have designated as a priority, such as the crime bill and
welfare reform, I have appointed several senior White House officials to lead our
effort to pass McCain Feingold/Shays Meehan. They have met on several
occasions with outside reform groups and are working closely with hill staff on
ways to ensure that the legislation is enacted by July 4. In addition, we will
shortly announce a significant initiative to build grassroots support across the
country for passage of real campaign finance reform.
Automated Records Management System
Hex.Dwnp Conversion
Question: How are you going to move people from welfare to work when there are no jobs?
Answer: I believe jobs are available and I expect the welfare rolls to continue to decline.
Minimum wage jobs have always been open, but the package of welfare benefits
previously available offered more to recipients than a minimum wage job. Now,
with increases in the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care subsidies, and other
provisions that makes work pay, welfare recipients can afford to take those
available minimum wage jobs. Once working, former welfare recipients will gain
the employment experience necessary to move up the ladder of work.
But, we will need more jobs -- and jobs that pay more than the minimum wage if
we are ensure the success of the new welfare law. I believe that a combination of
private sector commitments, such as those made by the CEOs with whom I
recently met, economic development, tax credits, additional welfare-to-work
funds, and a focus on jobs in the growing technology industry will create the new,
higher paying jobs we need.
Question: During your State of the Union address, you announced that five prominent
CEOs had joined the effort to help move welfare recipients to work. However,
recent press stories indicate that these companies have done litde to date to actually
hire welfare recipients. Can you comment?
Answer: During my State of the Union address, I was very pleased to announce that five of
this country's major corporations had pledged to work with me in the effort to
move welfare recipients permanently into the workforce. These five companies
had pledged to take a leadership role in the welfare-to-work effort during a
meeting I held earlier this year with a larger number of CEOs. These are not
necessarily companies that have programs up and running; in fact, most of them
don't. They are companies that have made a serious commitment -- and that I'm
confident will live up to that commitment -- to develop programs and initiatives to
get people off the welfare rolls and into real jobs.
Question: What has the White House done to hire welfare recipients since the new welfare
law was signed? .
Answer: Just last week, the Director of the U.S. Office for Personnel Management
submitted a report to the White House outlining several options the Federal
Government might pursue to hire welfare recipients. He and his staff came up
with some very good ideas and I am currently reviewing those ideas. I hope to
have something to announce very soon.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
government generally. We will also work hard, based on the steps we take In the federal
government as a whole, to open up opportunities for welfare recipients at the White
House.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: The new welfare law cuts off food stamps after three months for
unemployed non-disabled adults, and allows the Department of
Agriculture to exempt areas with high unemployment. Why does the
Administration want to give food stamp benefits to men and women who
refuse to work?
Answer: Enacting the welfare law was an historic accomplishment that represents
a significant step forward in social policy for this country. However, as I
said when I signed this bill, several provisions of the law have nothing to
do with the goal of welfare reform -- putting people to work. Instead, they
cut back on our vital food safety net and are unfair to immigrants who
have entered this country legally.
I strongly support work requirements. But the welfare law's harsh and
unreasonable time limit of 3 months in 36 cuts off people who want to work but
can't find jobs. In my budget, I proposed an alternative: a real and tough work
requirement without arbitrary cut-offs.
Under my proposal, those who refused to work or refused to take advantage of a
work opportunity would face tough new penalties. We would limit food stamps to
6 months out of 12. This policy would encourage work while giving those out of
work the transitory help they need to get back on their feet. We proposed new
funding and a wage supplementation option to expand the number of work slots
available to this group by nearly 400,000 over five years. I am looking forward to
working with Congress to enact this sensible proposal.
Background:
As of March 1, states will begin to cut off food stamp benefits for people who have not
met the new work requirement in the welfare law.
Under the law, able-bodied childless adultsbetween the ages of 18-50 are not permitted
to get food stamps for more than 3 months in a 3-year period, unless they are working at
least 20 hours a week.
USDA can waive the work requirement in cities or counties with high unemployment. To
date, USDA has granted waivers to 23 states that exempt specified counties or cities with
high unemployment.
Despite these exemptions, 600,000 individuals will lose their food stamp
eligibility in FY98 due to this provision. Under the Administration's proposal,
approximately 35,000 individuals would lose eligibility in FY98. Unlike the
welfare law, the Administration's proposal targets tough sanctions at those
individuals who are unwilling to work and to play by the rules.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: Immigrants shouldn't be coming to the U.S. to get on welfare. Why is the
Administration making restoration of these benefits a priority?
Answer: I believe that legal immigrants should have the same opportunity, and
bear the same responsibility, as other members of our society. The
welfare law denies most legal immigrants access to fundamental safety
net programs unless they become citizens -- even though they are in the
U.S. legally, are working and paying taxes and are responsible members
of our communities. My Administration has always supported making
individuals who encourage their relatives to emigrate to the United States
responsible for the immigrant's well being. However; as a nation, we
should not turn our backs on anyone who has lost their ability to earn a
living due to injury, disease, or illness.
Consequently, my budget proposes to make legal immigrants who
become disabled after entering the United States eligible for SSI and
Medicaid.
My budget would also provide poor immigrant children the same Medicaid
health care coverage low-income citizen children receive.
The United States admits refugees and asylees into this country on a
humanitarian basis. My budget proposes to lengthen the five-year
exemption for refugees from the ban from five to seven years in order to
give this group adequate time to naturalize.
Finally, the law denies food stamps to most legal immigrants. My budget
would delay the cutoffs from April 1, 1997 to August, 1997 in order to give
immigrants more time to naturalize.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: You've said you're ready to work with Congress to fix the immigrant and food
stamp parts of the welfare law, but some in the Republican leadership say the bill
is fine as it is. Doesn't this mean your proposals will be dead on arrival?
Answer: I think it is very significant that the nation's governors are now on record as
recognizing that the cuts in benefits to legal immigrants are too harsh and need to
be addressed -- even though their formal resolution was softened at the last minute
at the request of the Congressional leadership.
As the new welfare law is being implemented, the governors are gaining a new
appreciation of some parts of the bill that I have had a problem with from the
beginning -- those parts that are not related to putting people to work. This is
particularly true of governors in states with large numbers of legal immigrants.
They are now recognizing that many legal immigrants who are disabled, many in
nursing homes, will lose their SSI and Medicaid over the summer. In addition to
seeing that these provisions are unfair, they can see the potential costs to their own
state budgets if they make the decision to ameliorate these cuts.
I think that over time more and more people will come to see the harm that these
provisions could do to hard-working people who came to this country and through
no fault of their own, became disabled and could no longeer support their
families.
Also, I truly believe we are seeing some real changes in our relationship with the
Congress. It appears that we have gotten past some of the unproductive ways of
doing business we have had over the past two years, and that we are learning how
to work with one another in a far more constructive fashion.
Question: Last summer when you said you would sign the welfare bill there were
press reports that you wanted to restore about $14 billion in cuts. Now we
understand your budget includes $18 billion in legislative restorations.
Are you proposing to restore more in food stamps and benefits to
immigrants that you were last year?
Answer: No, absolutely not. The budget includes $18 billion in legislative
proposals for Food Stamps and immigrants that correspond directly to the
commitments I made at the time I signed the bill. Because of a number of
technical reestimates, the budget estimate for these legislative proposals
is now higher.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
states, and cities move welfare recipients to work was always separate
from that total, and was paid for separately elsewhere in my budget.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: You proposed national tests in reading and math in your State of the Union
address. Yet the tests are not required, and you proposed no new funding to help
students pass these tests. Why do you think these tests will make a difference?
Answer: These tests reflect widely accepted national standards for 4th grade reading and
8th grade math. The standards are higher than those in many states, which means
they will lead to higher expectations for our students. The tests exist already, but
are only given to a small sample of students at anyone time. My plan is to make
those tests available for every state so they can be given to every 4th and 8th grade
student. Then students, parents and teachers will know how they measure up
against tough national standards.
My balanced budget plan provides significant increases for federal elementary and
secondary school programs that will help prepare students to meet these tougher
standards, including significant increases for Goals 2000, Title 1, teacher training,
charter schools, and my Technology Literacy Challenge fund. I've also proposed
an America Reads Challenge, to mobilize an army of 1 million volunteer tutors, to
help students read by the third grade. All of these programs help improve
teaching and learning in the classroom.
The point of these tests is to lift our students up, by setting a high standard for
them, and then preparing them to meet the standards. Federal funds are important
here. So are funds provided by states and local governments, which make up 94%
of spending for schools. But these national tests will require a national response,
from every school, every teacher, every parent and every student.
Finally, I am pleased at the response this testing proposal has already received.
Two weeks ago I spoke in Maryland, and the President of the State Board of
Education announced that Maryland would participate in these tests. Just this
morning, the Washington Post carried an endorsement of this plan from two
former Republican assistant secretaries of education [Diane Ravitch and Checker
Finn]. So we are beginning to move forward on this plan, and these tests will
make a real difference.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Here are q&a from th'e DPC.
Unable to convert ARMS_EXT: [ATTACH.D66]MAIL490094557.016 to ASCII,
The following is a HEX DUMP:
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019006E001020001201500D0636F6E74696E756580746F80617474656E648044656D6F63726174
Question: Isn't it hypocritical to keep calling for campaign finance reform when you
continue to attend Democratic fundraisers?
Answer: We have challenged the Republican party to join with the Democratic party to
voluntarily restrict soft money contributions. Already the Democratic National
Committee has agreed to my request to unilaterally stop taking money from non-
citizens and to limit large soft money contributions. However, I believe it is
unfair for the Democratic party to go any further to unilaterally disarm in the face
of the Republican party's absolute refusal to voluntarily restrict their fundraising
III anyway.
Question: Given that you have made campaign finance reform a top priority for your second
term, why didn't you raise passage of reform legislation during the bipartisan
leadership meeting two weeks ago? .
Answer: The fact is that I did raise campaign finance reform as one of my priorities during
that meeting. We agreed during the meeting that the bipartisan priorities would
include those issues, such as the balanced budget, juvenile justice reform and
uthers, that would gamer widespread bipartisan support and could move quickly.
It is clear to me that there is still a lot of debate on the Hill about the right way to
reform the campaign finance system.
. Question: What actions have you taken to ensure that campaign finance reform is enacted
by your July 4th deadline?
Answer: We are making every effort to ensure that bipartisan reform passes by July 4.
I have had meetings at the White House with the lead sponsors of bipartisan
reform -- Senators McCain and Feingold and Representatives Shays and Meehan
and I have also met with the House sponsors of the legislation. As I have done
with other issues that I have designated as a priority, such as the crime bill and
welfare reform, I have appointed several senior White House officials to lead our
effort to pass McCain Feingold/Shays Meehan. They have met on several
occasions with outside reform groups and are working closely with hill staff on
ways to ensure that the legislation is enacted by July 4. In addition, we will
shortly announce a significant initiative to build grassroots support across the
country for passage of real campaign finance reform.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: How are you going to move people from welfare to work when there are no jobs?
Answer: I believe jobs are available and I expect the welfare rolls to continue to decline.
Minimum wage jobs have always been open, but the package of welfare benefits
previously available offered more to recipients than a minimum wage job. Now,
with increases in the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care subsidies, and other
provisions that makes work pay, welfare recipients can afford to take those
available minimum wage jobs. Once working, fonner welfare recipients will gain
the employment experience necessary to move up the ladder of work.
But, we will need more jobs -- and jobs that pay more than the minimum wage if
we are ensure the success of the new welfare law. I believe that a combination of
private sector commitments, such as those made by the CEOs with whom I
recently met, economic development, tax credits, additional welfare-to-work
funds, and a focus on jobs in the growing technology industry will create the new,
higher paying jobs we need.
Question: During your State of the Union address) you announced that five prominent
CEOs had joined the effort to help move weltarerecipients to work. However,
recent press stories indicate that these companies have done litde to date to actually
hire weltare recipients. Can you comment?
Answer. During my State of the Union address, I was very pleased to announce that five of
this country's major corporations had pledged to work with me in the effort to
move welfare recipients permanently into the workforce. These five companies
had pledged to take a leadership role in the welfare-to-work effort during a
meeting I held earlier this year with a larger number of CEOs. These are not
necessarily companies that have programs up and running; in fact, most of them
don't. They are companies that have made a serious commitment and that I'm
confident will live up to that commitment -. to develop programs and initiatives to
get people off the welfare rolls and into real jobs.
Question: What has the White House done to hire welfare recipients since the new welfare
law was signed?
Answer: Just last week, the Director of the U.S. Office for Personnel Management
submitted a report to the White House outlining several options the Federal
Government might pursue to hire welfare recipients. He and his staff came up
with some very good ideas and I am currently reviewing those ideas. I hope to
have something to announce very soon.
Automated Records Management System
Hex.Dump Conversion
government generally. We will also work hard, based on the steps we take in the federal
government as a whole, to open up opportunities for welfare recipients at the White
House.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: The new welfare law cuts off food stamps after three months for
unemployed non-disabled adults, and allows the Department of
Agriculture to exempt areas with high unemployment. Why does the
Administration want to give food stamp benefits to men and women who
refuse to work? .
Answer: Enacting the welfare law was an historic accomplishment that represents
a significant step forward in social policy for this country. However, as I
said when I signed this bill, several provisions of the law have nothing to
do with the goal of welfare reform -- putting people to work. Instead, they
cut back on our vital food safety net and are unfair to immigrants who
have entered this country legally.
I strongly support work requirements. But the welfare law's harsh and
unreasonable time limit of 3 months in 36 cuts off people who want to work but
can't find jobs. In my budget, I proposed an alternative: a real and tough work
requirement without arbitrary cut-offs.
Under my proposal, those who refused to work or refused to take advantage of a
work opportunity would face tough new penalties. We would limit food stamps to
6 months out of 12. This policy would encourage work while giving those out of
work the transitory help they need to get back on their feet. We proposed new
funding and a wage supplementation option to expand the number of work slots
available to this group by nearly 400,000 over five years. I am looking forward to
working with Congress to enact this sensible proposal.
Background:
As of March 1, states will begin to cut offfood stamp benefits for people who have not
met the new work requirement in the welfare law.
Under the law, able-bodied childless adults between the ages of 18-50 are not permitted
to get food stamps for more than 3 months in a 3-year period, unless they are working at
least 20 hours a week.
USDA can waive the work requirement in cities or counties with high unemployment. To
date, USDA has granted waivers to 23 states that exempt specified counties or cities with
high unemployment. .
Despite these exemptions, 600,000 individuals will lose their food stamp
eligibility in FY98 due to this provision. Under the Administration's proposal,
approximately 35,000 individuals would lose eligibility in FY98. Unlike the
welfare law, the Administration's proposal targets tough sanctions at those
individuals who are unwilling to work and to play by the rules.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: Immigrants shouldn't be coming to the US, to get on welfare, Why is the
Administration making restoration of these benefits a priority?
Answer: I believe that legal immigrants should have the same opportunity, and
bear the same responsibility, as other members of our society, The
welfare law denies most legal immigrants access to fundamental safety
net programs unless they become citizens -- even though they are in the
U,S. legally, are working and paying taxes and are responsible members
of our communities. My Administration has always supported making
individuals who encourage their relatives to emigrate to the United States
responsible for the immigrant's well being. However, as a nation, we
should not turn our backs on anyone who has lost their ability to earn a
living due to injury, disease, or illness.
Consequently, my budget proposes to make legal immigrants who
become disabled after entering the United States eligible for SSI and
Medicaid.
My budget would also provide poor immigrant children the same Medicaid
health care coverage low-income citizen children receive.
The United States admits refugees and asylees into this country on a
humanitarian basis. My budget proposes to lengthen the five-year
exemption for refugees from the ban from five to seven years in order to
give this group adequate time to naturalize.
Finally, the law denies food stamps to most legal immigrants. My budget
would delay the cutoffs from April 1, 1997 to August, 1997 in order to give
immigrants more time to naturalize.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: You 've said you Ire ready to work with Congress to fix the immigrant and food
stamp parts of the welfare law, but some in the Republican leadership say the bill
is fine as it is. Doesn't this mean your proposals will be dead on arrival?
Answer: I think it is very significant that the nation's governors are now on record as
recognizing that the cuts in benefits to legal immigrants are too harsh and need to
be addressed -- even though their formal resolution was softened at the last minute
at the request of the Congressional leadership.
As the new welfare law is being implemented, the governors are gaining a new
appreciation of some parts of the bill that I have had a problem with from the
beginning -- those parts that are not related to putting people to work. This is
particularly true of governors in states with large numbers of legal immigrants.
They are now recognizing that many legal immigrants who are disabled, many in
nursing homes, wiUlose their SSI and Medicaid over the summer. In addition to
seeing that these provisions are unfair, they can see the potential costs to their own
state budgets if they make the decision to ameliorate these cuts.
I think that over time more and more people will come to see the harm that these
provisions could do to hard-working people who came to this country and through
no fault of their own, became disabled and could no longeer support their
families.
Also, I truly believe we are seeing some real changes in our relationship with the
Congress. It appears that we have gotten past some of the unproductive ways of
doing business we have had over the past two years, and that we are learning how
to work with one another in a far more constructive fashion.
Question: Last summer when you said you would sign the welfare bill there were
press reports that you wanted to restore about $14 billion in cuts. Now we
understand your budget includes $18 billion in legislative restorations.
Are you proposing to restore more in food stamps and benefits to
immigrants that you were last year?
Answer: No, absolutely not. The budget includes $18 billion in legislative
proposals for Food Stamps and immigrants thatcorrespond directly to the
commitments I made at the time I signed the bill. Because of a number of
technical reestimates, the budget estimate for these legislative proposals
is now higher.
Automated Reoords Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
states, and cities move welfare recipients to work was always separate
from that total, and was paid for separately elsewhere in my budget.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Education Standards
Question: You proposed national tests in reading and math in your State of the Union
address. Yet the tests are not required, and you proposed no new funding to help
students pass these tests. Why do you think these tests will make a difference?
Answer: These tests reflect widely accepted national standards for 4th grade reading and
8th grade math. The standards are higher than those in many states, which means
they will lead to higher expectations for our students. The tests exist already, but
are only given to a small sample of students at anyone time. My plan is to make
those tests available for every state so they can be given to every 4th and 8th grade
student. Then students, parents and teachers will know how they measure up
against tough national standards.
My balanced budget plan provides significant increases for federal elementary and
secondary school programs that will help prepare students to meet these tougher
standards, including significant increases for Goals 2000, Title 1, teacher training,
charter schools, and my Technology Literacy Challenge fund. I've also proposed
an America Reads Challenge, to mobilize an army of I million volunteer tutors, to
help students read by the third grade. All of these programs help improve
teaching and learning in the classroom.
The point of these tests is to lift our students up, by setting a high standard for
them, and then preparing them to meet the standards. Federal funds are important
here. So are funds provided by states and local governments, which make up 94%
of spending for schools. But these national tests will require a national response,
from every school, every teacher, every parent and every student.
Finally, I am pleased at the response this testing proposal has already received.
Two weeks ago I spoke in Maryland, and the President of the State Board of
Education announced that Maryland would participate in these tests. Just this
morning, the Washington Post carried an endorsement of this plan from two
former Republican assistant secretaries of education [Diane Ravitch and Checker
Finn]. So we are beginning to move forward on this plan, and these tests will
make a real difference.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Convenion
==================== ATTACHMENT 1 ====================
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00: 00: 00.0.0
TEXT:
Unable to convert ARMS_EXT: [ATTACH.D66]MAIL490094557.016 to ASCII,
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Question: Isn't it hypocritical to keep calling for campaign finance reform when you
continue to attend Democratic fundraisers?
Answer: We have challenged the Republican party to join with the Democratic party to
voluntarily restrict soft money contributions. Already the Democratic National
Committee has agreed to my request to unilaterally stop taking money from non-
citizens and to limit large soft money contributions. However, I believe it is
unfair for the Democratic party to go any further to unilaterally disarm in the face
of the Republican party's absolute refusal to voluntarily restrict their fundraising
III anyway.
Question: Given that you have made campaign finance reform a top priority for your second
term, why didn't you raise passage of reform legislation during the bipartisan
leadership meeting two weeks ago? .
Answer: The fact is that I did raise campaign finance reform as one of my priorities during
that meeting. We agreed during the meeting that the bipartisan priorities would
include those issues, such as the balanced budget, juvenile justice reform and
uthers, that would gamer widespread bipartisan support and could move quickly.
It is clear to me that there is still a lot of debate on the Hill about the right way to
reform the campaign finance system.
. Question: What actions have you taken to ensure that campaign finance reform is enacted
by your July 4th deadline?
Answer: We are making every effort to ensure that bipartisan reform passes by July 4.
I have had meetings at the White House with the lead sponsors of bipartisan
reform -- Senators McCain and Feingold and Representatives Shays and Meehan
and I have also met with the House sponsors of the legislation. As I have done
with other issues that I have designated as a priority, such as the crime bill and
welfare reform, I have appointed several senior White House officials to lead our
effort to pass McCain Feingold/Shays Meehan. They have met on several
occasions with outside reform groups and are working closely with hill staff on
ways to ensure that the legislation is enacted by July 4. In addition, we will
shortly announce a significant initiative to build grassroots support across the
country for passage of real campaign finance reform.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: How are you going to move people from welfare to work when there are no jobs?
Answer: I believe jobs are available and I expect the welfare rolls to continue to decline.
Minimum wage jobs have always been open, but the package of welfare benefits
previously available offered more to recipients than a minimum wage job. Now,
with increases in the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care subsidies, and other
provisions that makes work pay, welfare recipients can afford to take those
available minimum wage jobs. Once working, fonner welfare recipients will gain
the employment experience necessary to move up the ladder of work.
But, we will need more jobs -- and jobs that pay more than the minimum wage if
we are ensure the success of the new welfare law. I believe that a combination of
private sector commitments, such as those made by the CEOs with whom I
recently met, economic development, tax credits, additional welfare-to-work
funds, and a focus on jobs in the growing technology industry will create the new,
higher paying jobs we need.
Question: During your State of the Union address) you announced that five prominent
CEOs had joined the effort to help move weltarerecipients to work. However,
recent press stories indicate that these companies have done litde to date to actually
hire weltare recipients. Can you comment?
Answer. During my State of the Union address, I was very pleased to announce that five of
this country's major corporations had pledged to work with me in the effort to
move welfare recipients permanently into the workforce. These five companies
had pledged to take a leadership role in the welfare-to-work effort during a
meeting I held earlier this year with a larger number of CEOs. These are not
necessarily companies that have programs up and running; in fact, most of them
don't. They are companies that have made a serious commitment and that I'm
confident will live up to that commitment -. to develop programs and initiatives to
get people off the welfare rolls and into real jobs.
Question: What has the White House done to hire welfare recipients since the new welfare
law was signed?
Answer: Just last week, the Director of the U.S. Office for Personnel Management
submitted a report to the White House outlining several options the Federal
Government might pursue to hire welfare recipients. He and his staff came up
with some very good ideas and I am currently reviewing those ideas. I hope to
have something to announce very soon.
Automated Records Management System
Hex.Dump Conversion
government generally. We will also work hard, based on the steps we take in the federal
government as a whole, to open up opportunities for welfare recipients at the White
House.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: The new welfare law cuts off food stamps after three months for
unemployed non-disabled adults, and allows the Department of
Agriculture to exempt areas with high unemployment. Why does the
Administration want to give food stamp benefits to men and women who
refuse to work? .
Answer: Enacting the welfare law was an historic accomplishment that represents
a significant step forward in social policy for this country. However, as I
said when I signed this bill, several provisions of the law have nothing to
do with the goal of welfare reform -- putting people to work. Instead, they
cut back on our vital food safety net and are unfair to immigrants who
have entered this country legally.
I strongly support work requirements. But the welfare law's harsh and
unreasonable time limit of 3 months in 36 cuts off people who want to work but
can't find jobs. In my budget, I proposed an alternative: a real and tough work
requirement without arbitrary cut-offs.
Under my proposal, those who refused to work or refused to take advantage of a
work opportunity would face tough new penalties. We would limit food stamps to
6 months out of 12. This policy would encourage work while giving those out of
work the transitory help they need to get back on their feet. We proposed new
funding and a wage supplementation option to expand the number of work slots
available to this group by nearly 400,000 over five years. I am looking forward to
working with Congress to enact this sensible proposal.
Background:
As of March 1, states will begin to cut offfood stamp benefits for people who have not
met the new work requirement in the welfare law.
Under the law, able-bodied childless adults between the ages of 18-50 are not permitted
to get food stamps for more than 3 months in a 3-year period, unless they are working at
least 20 hours a week.
USDA can waive the work requirement in cities or counties with high unemployment. To
date, USDA has granted waivers to 23 states that exempt specified counties or cities with
high unemployment. .
Despite these exemptions, 600,000 individuals will lose their food stamp
eligibility in FY98 due to this provision. Under the Administration's proposal,
approximately 35,000 individuals would lose eligibility in FY98. Unlike the
welfare law, the Administration's proposal targets tough sanctions at those
individuals who are unwilling to work and to play by the rules.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: Immigrants shouldn't be coming to the US, to get on welfare, Why is the
Administration making restoration of these benefits a priority?
Answer: I believe that legal immigrants should have the same opportunity, and
bear the same responsibility, as other members of our society, The
welfare law denies most legal immigrants access to fundamental safety
net programs unless they become citizens -- even though they are in the
U,S. legally, are working and paying taxes and are responsible members
of our communities. My Administration has always supported making
individuals who encourage their relatives to emigrate to the United States
responsible for the immigrant's well being. However, as a nation, we
should not turn our backs on anyone who has lost their ability to earn a
living due to injury, disease, or illness.
Consequently, my budget proposes to make legal immigrants who
become disabled after entering the United States eligible for SSI and
Medicaid.
My budget would also provide poor immigrant children the same Medicaid
health care coverage low-income citizen children receive.
The United States admits refugees and asylees into this country on a
humanitarian basis. My budget proposes to lengthen the five-year
exemption for refugees from the ban from five to seven years in order to
give this group adequate time to naturalize.
Finally, the law denies food stamps to most legal immigrants. My budget
would delay the cutoffs from April 1, 1997 to August, 1997 in order to give
immigrants more time to naturalize.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Question: You 've said you Ire ready to work with Congress to fix the immigrant and food
stamp parts of the welfare law, but some in the Republican leadership say the bill
is fine as it is. Doesn't this mean your proposals will be dead on arrival?
Answer: I think it is very significant that the nation's governors are now on record as
recognizing that the cuts in benefits to legal immigrants are too harsh and need to
be addressed -- even though their formal resolution was softened at the last minute
at the request of the Congressional leadership.
As the new welfare law is being implemented, the governors are gaining a new
appreciation of some parts of the bill that I have had a problem with from the
beginning -- those parts that are not related to putting people to work. This is
particularly true of governors in states with large numbers of legal immigrants.
They are now recognizing that many legal immigrants who are disabled, many in
nursing homes, wiUlose their SSI and Medicaid over the summer. In addition to
seeing that these provisions are unfair, they can see the potential costs to their own
state budgets if they make the decision to ameliorate these cuts.
I think that over time more and more people will come to see the harm that these
provisions could do to hard-working people who came to this country and through
no fault of their own, became disabled and could no longeer support their
families.
Also, I truly believe we are seeing some real changes in our relationship with the
Congress. It appears that we have gotten past some of the unproductive ways of
doing business we have had over the past two years, and that we are learning how
to work with one another in a far more constructive fashion.
Question: Last summer when you said you would sign the welfare bill there were
press reports that you wanted to restore about $14 billion in cuts. Now we
understand your budget includes $18 billion in legislative restorations.
Are you proposing to restore more in food stamps and benefits to
immigrants that you were last year?
Answer: No, absolutely not. The budget includes $18 billion in legislative
proposals for Food Stamps and immigrants thatcorrespond directly to the
commitments I made at the time I signed the bill. Because of a number of
technical reestimates, the budget estimate for these legislative proposals
is now higher.
Automated Reoords Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
states, and cities move welfare recipients to work was always separate
from that total, and was paid for separately elsewhere in my budget.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Conversion
Education Standards
Question: You proposed national tests in reading and math in your State of the Union
address. Yet the tests are not required, and you proposed no new funding to help
students pass these tests. Why do you think these tests will make a difference?
Answer: These tests reflect widely accepted national standards for 4th grade reading and
8th grade math. The standards are higher than those in many states, which means
they will lead to higher expectations for our students. The tests exist already, but
are only given to a small sample of students at anyone time. My plan is to make
those tests available for every state so they can be given to every 4th and 8th grade
student. Then students, parents and teachers will know how they measure up
against tough national standards.
My balanced budget plan provides significant increases for federal elementary and
secondary school programs that will help prepare students to meet these tougher
standards, including significant increases for Goals 2000, Title 1, teacher training,
charter schools, and my Technology Literacy Challenge fund. I've also proposed
an America Reads Challenge, to mobilize an army of I million volunteer tutors, to
help students read by the third grade. All of these programs help improve
teaching and learning in the classroom.
The point of these tests is to lift our students up, by setting a high standard for
them, and then preparing them to meet the standards. Federal funds are important
here. So are funds provided by states and local governments, which make up 94%
of spending for schools. But these national tests will require a national response,
from every school, every teacher, every parent and every student.
Finally, I am pleased at the response this testing proposal has already received.
Two weeks ago I spoke in Maryland, and the President of the State Board of
Education announced that Maryland would participate in these tests. Just this
morning, the Washington Post carried an endorsement of this plan from two
former Republican assistant secretaries of education [Diane Ravitch and Checker
Finn]. So we are beginning to move forward on this plan, and these tests will
make a real difference.
Automated Records Management System
Hex-Dump Convenion
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