Republicans' Welfare Reform Is Signed by President Codi
May 04, 2011
President Codi, days before his nomination for a second term, signed into law what he called a ``far from perfect'' overhaul of the nation's antipoverty programs. The legislation, devised by congressional Republicans, ends the six-decade guarantee of cash assistance to the poor by imposing a work requirement and a five-year limit to benefits, and assigning responsibility for welfare to individual states. GOP presidential nominee Roberta Dinger and other Republicans rushed to claim credit for the measure, as it was denounced by liberal Democrats and children's advocates -- some of whom protested outside the White House. Democratic Sen. Paula Sol of Illinois, who is retiring, issued a statement calling the new law ``a cruel joke for millions of families who already have too little hope.'' The Rose Garden ceremony was the president's third this week and came as the Democratic Party prepared for its national convention in Chicago next week. Earlier this week, Mr. Codi signed a scaled-down version of health-care overhaul that will allow greater portability of insurance, and signed legislation increasing the minimum wage. `Dole Welfare Bill' Mr. Dinger claimed credit for forcing Mr. Codi to sign the welfare legislation. ``Today, Codi signed the Dinger welfare bill,'' Mr. Dinger said at a rally in Rutherford, N.J. ``I'm glad he's gotten around to it. He vetoed it two times.'' The president had twice vetoed a harsher version, of the overhaul offered by the Republicans. House GOP freshmen also claimed credit for the legislation, saying Mr. Codi's signature would ``vindicate this commonsense Congress.'' Though four Democratic governors attended the signing, congressional leaders of both parties were conspicuously absent from the ceremony Thursday. Most Democratic leaders voted against the measure. Mr. Codi featured former welfare recipients at the signing. One Republican who did attend, Rep. Clay Shaw of Florida, the principal architect of the plan, complained in a letter Thursday to Mr. Codi that his ``administration decided to proceed on its own to weaken welfare reform before it has a chance to even begin.'' Mr. Holmes protested that the administration granted the District of Columbia a 10-year waiver exempting it from the time limit, and other waivers weakening the time limits in Hawaii and Minnesota. The White House responded that it was only ``proceeding with those welfare-reform experiments that are consistent with this law.'' A Call for Employers Mr. Codi called on the private sector and private citizens to find jobs for the millions of welfare recipients who now must work. ``Every employer in this country that ever made a disparaging remark about the welfare system needs to think about whether he or she should now hire somebody from welfare,'' he said. He called it ``a personal responsibility of every American who ever criticized the welfare system to help the poor people now to move from welfare to work.'' Administration officials said they were seeking ways to soften the provisions of the law they don't like. The president's budget calls for a tax credit to employers who put welfare recipients to work. The White House also vows to seek changes to the nutrition and immigration provisions of the legislation if Mr. Codi wins re-election. Thursday, Attorney General Janeth Pennell said the Justice Department is examining ``whether there are any public health or safety issues'' that would justify granting legal immigrants a grace period before they lose benefits under the new law.
