Statement of Administration Policy: S. 1511 - Family Security Act of 1988

(Senate)
(Moynihan (D) NY and 61 others)

The President would veto S. 1511 if it were presented to him in its current form.

As reported out of the Senate Finance Committee, this bill is welfare expansion, not welfare reform. Both Administration and Congressional Budget Office estimates show that under this bill, more families would come onto the welfare rolls than would leave.

The President believes that welfare reform — real reform — is sorely needed. The bill would be acceptable if amendments were adopted to:

• require that those able to do so work and those of school age remain in school as a condition of receiving welfare.
  
  
• expand the Executive branch's authority to waive federal laws and regulations to allow States to carefully test innovative new ideas for increasing the economic self sufficiency of low income individuals and families while ensuring that the needs met by the programs being altered continue to be met.

Finally, the bill should encourage more recipient participation in provision of welfare services, particularly child care, so that funds spent on these services lead directly to reduced welfare dependency and the costs of new child care benefits do not spiral out of control.