White House Likes ‘Workfare’ but May Veto Welfare Bill

The White House Friday warmly endorsed work and job training provisions in major welfare overhaul legislation passed by the Senate but warned that President Reagan still has serious reservations about the landmark package, now headed for a conference with the House.

The comments, implying that the President might still veto the measure, despite 11th-hour compromise amendments, were made by spokesman Marlin Fitzwater just hours after senators had approved the package by a 93-3 vote Thursday night. The legislation calls for $2.8 billion in spending over the next five years.

‘Progressive’ Provision

Fitzwater labeled both “progressive” and “helpful” a Senate provision attaching certain “workfare” requirements for those receiving welfare benefits. But, he said: “We still have some problems with the bill and we’d like it to go further even in some of these areas.”

He said also that “it’s going to be very tough” to reconcile the measure with a more generous House bill adopted earlier that does not contain strict work requirements.

Under the House bill, federal welfare spending over the next five years would amount to about $7 billion.

Although the Senate bill mandates a far less extensive program, it was hailed during debate as the most significant redirection of the national welfare system since it was created half a century ago.

Higher Spending

“Workfare” provisions, sponsored by Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and Sen. William L. Armstrong (R-Colo.) were approved in the hope that, if retained in the compromise version produced by the conference committee, they would neutralize Administration opposition to a higher spending level.

Under the provision pushed through the Senate by Dole, at least one of the two unemployed parents in welfare families would be required to work at least 16 hours a week on community projects for the family to remain eligible for assistance.

Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N. Y.), one of the chief sponsors of the Senate bill, opposed that “workfare” measure on grounds that the nations’ governors consider it cumbersome and ineffective.

The wide differences in the House and Senate bills are expected to produce a bruising struggle as negotiators try to shape the final bill to be sent to the White House.

Objections to Cost

Several days ago, Reagan threatened to veto the reform measure as written by the House because of its cost and because it was viewed by the Administration as a mere expansion of a flawed existing system.

In his remarks to reporters Friday, Fitzwater indicated that the White House will use its influence to push for a version more along the lines of the one passed by the Senate.

“It was a very important amendment that Sens. Dole and Armstrong added last night,” he said. The Administration is still in the process of analyzing about a dozen other amendments adopted in the hours before the bill’s final passage, Fitzwater said.

Despite the continuing White House reservations about the Senate bill, the “workfare” provisions were hailed as a major improvement over the House measure.

“It’s the first time a welfare bill has ever been passed that includes the federal requirement for work in association with welfare,” Fitzwater said. “And, in that sense, we believe that it was a very important concept to be established in law.”

Millions Aided

Under the present program of federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children, benefits are paid to about 3.3 million mothers, 400,000 fathers and 7.3 million children. The federal government picks up 55% of the cost and the states the rest.

Moynihan said that the work requirement would directly affect only 6% or 7% of recipients.

The only votes against final passage were cast by Sens. Jesse Helms (R-N. C.), Gordon J. Humphrey (R-N. H.) and William Proxmire (D-Wis.).