The Republicans in the Senate have reached a deadlock in the debate on the Senate welfare reform bill. Conservative Republicans want the federal government to prevent states from providing welfare benefits to teen mothers, while moderate Republicans prefer that states receive money with no strings attached. As a result of this impasse, "The Family Self-Sufficiency Act of 1995," the Senate welfare reform bill, has been withdrawn from the Senate floor and rumors indicate the bill, which passed the Senate Finance Committee in May, probably will not be debated again until September.
Like the welfare reform bill which passed the House earlier this spring, the Senate bill would dismantle the current welfare system and replace it with a fixed sum of "block grants" to the states. Poor people who are eligible for assistance may not receive it if money runs out. Senators from both parties are in disagreement over how much money to give to each state, since some states' poor populations are expected to grow in the future. Under the current system, every eligible person in every state receives aid.
"The Family Self-Sufficiency Act is a farce designed to remove the safety net for the most vulnerable in our society - poor women and children," said Harriet Trudell, Government Relations Specialist at the Feminist Majority. "By giving states block grants with no strings attached, the federal government is giving away a license to steal. There is no requirement that states must spend any of this money on poor women and children."
The Senate bill also mandates strict work requirements without providing adequate funding for child care and job training. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Media 44 out of the 50 states will be unable to comply with the work requirements. Under the Senate bill, 160,000 children would be declared in-eligible for Supplemental Security Income, a program which provides assistance to severely disabled children and adults.
The Senate bill also requires that legal immigrants must count their sponsor's income when applying for welfare. This requirement ignores the fact that for many immigrant women applying for welfare, their sponsors are husbands whom they have left because of domestic violence.
The Democrats are expected to offer amendments to the bill when debate reopens. One of the Democratic leadership's planned amendments seeks to implement more feasible work restrictions and to ensure a safety net for children. This amendment, while less draconian than the Republican version, still mandates that welfare recipients must participate in the work force or in community service after two years.
"By giving states block grants with no strings attached, the federal government is giving away a license to steal. There is no requirement that states must spend any of this money on poor women and children."
These work requirements ignore the fact that most women on welfare are already working or looking for work. The lack of well-paying jobs with health insurance keeps many women dependent on welfare.
Other Democratic amendments include a requirement that states continue their current spending levels, and exceptions to the time limit for getting off welfare for domestic violence victims.
AFDC accounts for less than 1% of the national budget, and provides assistance to 14 million people, 9 million of whom are children. Welfare programs are also an important safety net for women escaping domestic violence. Sixty to 95% of women helped by some battered women's shelters receive AFDC for at least a short time.