Clinton Plans to Give 4 States Welfare Waivers

Hoping to regain the initiative in the welfare reform debate, President Clinton plans to give four states, including California, waivers from federal rules and order his Administration to act more quickly on other proposed state experiments.

According to three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the President, in a speech today to the National Governors Assn., will announce he is granting the waivers to California, West Virginia, Texas and Utah.

The California waiver, they said, will allow the state to impose a “family cap,” meaning it can deny additional benefits to mothers who have additional children while on welfare.

Clinton also will disclose that he is ordering the government to deny additional food stamp benefits to welfare recipients who refuse to meet state work requirements, according to Administration and other officials.

Under current regulations, food stamp benefits are based on income. So if welfare recipients refuse to meet a state work requirement and as a result have their welfare checks reduced, they are in most cases eligible for more food stamps.

Clinton’s order will prohibit the additional food stamp benefits.

The President’s speech to the governors will follow an address by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.), who plans to outline a new welfare reform initiative of his own.

According to aides, Dole will call for lumping some job training and child-care programs into block grants along with Aid to Families with Dependent Children.