GOP Blocks Attempts to Soften Welfare Changes : Benefits: Democrats lose bid to exempt some legal immigrants from cuts. House panel votes to end guaranteed aid to abused foster children.

Republicans Tuesday rebuffed Democratic attempts in a Ways and Means subcommittee to soften provisions of the GOP welfare initiative that would deny federal benefits to most legal immigrants and change foster care rules that guarantee help to each eligible child.

The Republican welfare overhaul plan would exclude legal immigrants from most federal programs, including Medicaid, school lunches and Aid to Families With Dependent Children, the nation’s major welfare program.

Democratic amendments would have excepted legal immigrants who had served in the U.S. military and who had worked and paid taxes for more than five years. Both proposals were voted down by Republicans.

“It’s absolutely impossible,” to make any changes in the Republican plan, Rep. Pete Stark (D-Hayward) said afterward. “They are marching in lockstep.”

Under the GOP plan, more than a million legal immigrants would lose eligibility for AFDC and Supplemental Security Income, a program that provides cash support for elderly, blind and disabled people, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

More than half of those immigrants live in California, the government says.

The Democratic minority lost an earlier bid to change the Republican plan on foster care assistance for children.

The GOP blueprint would end a federal guarantee to provide money to the states to take care of each child who is eligible for foster care assistance because of abuse or neglect.

The GOP measure would give states block grants, ending the current “entitlement status” of the program. And, although Republicans plan to cut funds for other welfare programs, child welfare money would grow 39% from $3.9 billion to $5.5 billion over five years. That is because the number of children needing such services is rising so quickly.

Administration officials argued that 111,000 eligible children each year still could be denied foster care benefits, however.

Rep. Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.) warned that the Republican proposal could end up hurting more than just the children involved.

“When they end up in trouble, we end up in trouble,” Levin said. “They are victims and sometimes we become their victims.”

Republicans argued, however, that their plan would not only save money--$4 billion over five years--but would also cut administrative costs and give states flexibility to improve their crisis intervention programs to help more children stay with their families.

Frustrated with their inability to influence their Republican colleagues, Democrats on the subcommittee decided to offer their own version of welfare reform when the issue comes before the full committee later this month or early next month.