    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [December 8, 1994]
    [Page 2162]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2162]]

    Statement on the White House Initiative on Welfare Reform
    December 8, 1994

        Today, after meeting with a group of Governors from both parties, I
    am announcing that the White House will convene a national bipartisan
    working session on welfare reform next month.
        Welfare reform is a top priority for my administration, for the
    Governors, for the new Congress, and above all, for the American people.
    Americans have asked their elected officials to put aside politics as
    usual and begin earnest work to solve our Nation's problems, and welfare
    reform is at the very top of our agenda.
        I have called for this session as a first step in an honest dialog
    about our country's broken welfare system and what we must do to fix it.
    Washington doesn't have all the answers, and Government doesn't, either.
    Every one of us in this country has to begin taking individual
    responsibility for turning this country around.
        I have worked on this issue for my whole career in public life. When
    I was a Governor, I worked closely with President Reagan and Senator
    Moynihan to develop the bipartisan consensus that led to passage of
    important legislation to strengthen families and move people from
    welfare to work.
        I believe we must end welfare as we know it, because the current
    welfare system is a bad deal for the taxpayers who pay the bills and for
    the families who are trapped on it. The American people deserve a
    Government that honors their values and spends their money judiciously
    and a country that rewards people who work hard and play by the rules.
        People want their leaders to stop the partisan bickering, come
    together, and roll up their sleeves and get to work. This meeting will
    be the beginning of a new day, not just for the welfare system but for
    how our Government works.