    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [July 5, 1997]
    [Pages 916-917]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 916]]

    The President's Radio Address
    July 5, 1997

        Good morning. We come together this weekend to celebrate
    Independence Day, our 221 years of freedom, and the fundamental values
    that unite us as one America: All of us should have an equal chance to
    succeed, and all of us have the same obligation to work hard, to be law-
    abiding citizens, to give something back to our community, to earn in
    our generation the freedom our Founders established.
        These are the values that have guided our efforts to end welfare as
    we know it. Today I want to talk to you about the progress we have made
    over the last 4\1/2\ years, the changes now underway, and what we must
    do--all of us--to make sure that welfare reform honors those values,
    too.
        For 4\1/2\ years, my administration has been committed to putting an
    end to the old welfare system that trapped too many families in a cycle
    of despair. Working with the States, we first launched welfare reform
    experiments in 43 States that emphasize work and personal
    responsibility.
        Then last summer, I signed historic legislation that revolutionized
    welfare into a system that supports families and children but demands
    work from those who are able to perform it. It was a dramatic step, but
    we knew the time was right to put an end to a system that was broken
    beyond repair. As of July 1st, just a few days ago, welfare reform has
    taken effect in all 50 States. This week the old welfare system came to
    an end. Now a new system based on work is taking its place. This system
    demands responsibility, but not only from the people who are now
    required to work but also from every American.
        We knew last August that the new welfare reform law was not a
    guarantee but a bold experiment. So far, it's working. I'm pleased to
    announce that today there are 3 million fewer people on welfare than
    there were the day I took office, a remarkable 1.2 million fewer since I
    signed welfare reform into law. This is the largest decrease in the
    welfare rolls in history, giving us the lowest percentage of our
    population on welfare since 1970.
        We have begun to put an end to the culture of dependency and to
    elevate our values of family, work, and responsibility. But we have only
    begun. Now we must continue to work together to meet our goal of moving
    a million more people from welfare to work by the year 2000.
        Since I took office, the economy has added 12\1/2\ million new jobs,
    and many economists believe we will continue to produce the jobs we need
    to meet our challenge. But even so, it won't be easy because many of the
    people who remain on welfare have never worked before; still others live
    in poor communities without enough jobs. So if we expect people to work,
    we need to make sure there's work for them to go to. And we need to make
    sure that those with no previous work experience, without present
    connections to mainstream America, get both the preparation and the
    support they need to succeed.
        The National Government will do its part. First, the balanced budget
    agreement we reached with Congress in May provides $3 billion to create
    jobs to move people from welfare to work. I secured a commitment from
    congressional leaders to give private employers tax incentives to hire
    long-term welfare recipients as well. And I believe that every one of
    those new workers should earn at least the minimum wage and receive the
    protections of existing employment laws that other workers enjoy.
        Second, we must help welfare recipients get to the new jobs, which
    often are outside their neighborhoods. That's why I recently proposed
    legislation providing $600 million to help States and local communities
    devise transportation strategies to move people from welfare to work.
        Third, we must make sure that mothers who must now go to work have
    good child care and adequate health care for their children. That's why
    I made sure that the welfare reform bill added $4 billion more in child
    care assistance and why I fought for the balanced budget agreement to
    extend health care coverage to millions more uninsured children.
        States must also do their part. Many States are already working to
    reduce caseloads and free resources to put even more people to work. For
    example, Wisconsin and Florida are significantly increasing their
    investments in child care. In Oregon, they're providing health care and

    [[Page 917]]

    transportation support and subsidizing jobs with money that used to pay
    for welfare checks.
        Today I challenge every State to take the money they save from
    lowering their caseloads and use it--for child care, for transportation,
    to subsidize the training and wage help that people need to move from
    welfare to work.
        As much as the National and State Governments can do to move people
    from welfare to work, we know the vast majority of the jobs must be
    created by the private business. The most lasting way to bring people on
    welfare into the mainstream of American life is with a solid job in the
    private sector.
        So, to every businessperson who has ever criticized the old system,
    I say, that system is gone; it's now up to you to help make the new
    system work. Already, businesses of all sizes have joined in a national
    welfare-to-work partnership, committed to hiring welfare recipients and
    to recruiting other employers to join them. I've committed the Federal
    Government to hire 10,000 welfare recipients over the next 4 years. If
    you have a business and can hire just one, it will be a great citizen
    service.
        This Independence Day, all Americans should be very happy that 3
    million of our fellow citizens are now off welfare rolls. If we can
    provide another million jobs, then we'll have about 3 million more
    workers and their children who can celebrate their own independence day
    by the turn of the century.
        So as we celebrate our Nation's past and the values that unite us,
    let us look forward to the future and let us redouble our determination
    to give more and more of our fellow citizens their own personal
    independence day.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 2:25 p.m. on July 3 in the Oval Office
    at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on July 5.