[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 77 (Thursday, May 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H5653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE PRESIDENT AND WELFARE

  (Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, you will remember that during his 
Presidential campaign, Bill Clinton promised to end welfare as we know 
it. But when he was elected, he vetoed welfare reform twice.
  Mr. Speaker, Republicans take a different view. We do not view 
welfare as a political football. We want to give the States greater 
flexibility. We want tough work requirements. We want a 5-year limit on 
benefits. We want to lift people out of poverty and despair.
  There is a huge difference between Bill Clinton's view on welfare 
reform and the Republican view of welfare reform. Bill Clinton wants to 
demagog. He wants to protect Washington bureaucracy and Washington 
spending.
  Republicans want to actually keep our promises and actually do 
something to make a difference in the lives of those caught in the 
grasp of the welfare state.
  Mr. Speaker, we can only hope that Bill Clinton will honor his word 
and help us reform welfare.

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