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OCR Page 1 of 79Members of the Clinton adminis-
tration welfare task force have held
The package of welfare changes
internal discussions about cutting
unveiled last month by House Re-
welfare benefits to noncitizens in this
publicans proposed ending welfare
country legally as an option to fund
for most noncitizens under 75 years
welfare reform programs, according
age. That cutback would be im-
to administration sources.
plemented after a one-year adjust-
The issue is so potentially divi-
ment period and would save as
sive that the 33-member interagen-
much as $8 billion in the fifth year,
cy task force that has been drafting
according to a Congressional Bud-
welfare reform options made no
get Office estimate.
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
mention of noncitizens in its most
The congressional analysts said
recent draft, which is confidential.
that in the five years, halting aid to
The group is drawing up options for
noncitizens would save $9.4 billion
President Clinton to consider as he
in Supplemental Security Income,
attempts to put into practice his
$8.1 billion in Medicaid, $2.8 billion
campaign pledge to "end welfare as
in food stamps and $1 billion in
we know it."
AFDC. A total of 61 federal welfare
White House domestic policy ad-
programs would be denied to most
THE WASHINGTON POST
viser Bruce Reed, a co-chairman of
legal immigrants, the main excep-
the task force, declined to comment
tion being emergency Medicaid ser-
Clinton Task Force Weighs Cutting Welfare
on the discussions about welfare
vices.
benefits for noncitizens, saying it
Republican strategists in Con-
was "premature" to talk about fund-
gress said that if the administration
ing measures before the task force
proposed a package of welfare re-
completed its work on broad policy
forms without cutting benefits to
changes.
noncitizens, they would make it a
However, administration sources
major issue in the welfare debate.
said that reducing benefits paid to
Under current law, an immigrant
noncitizens has been discussed ex-
can qualify for benefits after a
Benefits to Noncitizens
tensively among some task force
three-year period during which his
members as a potential source of
or her sponsors-often the children
money for costly reforms. Among
of elderly parents-are deemed
these is a proposal to create com-
liable for support.
munity service jobs for welfare re-
Proposals have ranged from ex-
cipients who are forced off the rolls
tending the sponsors' liability to 15
at the end of a proposed two-year
years, as suggested by the conser-
time limit for public assistance.
vative Heritage Foundation, to
The sources said that as a House
eliminating it altogether except for
Republican welfare reform plan,
the most elderly recipients, as pro-
which includes cutting aid to legal
posed in the bill by House Repub-
immigrants, advances next year,
licans.
the administration is likely to come
Critics of the current system say
under increasing pressure to pub-
that many elderly immigrants spon-
licly address the issue. Clinton has
sored by their children apply for
taken no public position on it so far.
Supplemental Security Income and
Affected would be hundreds of
other benefits during their first
thousands of legal immigrants, ref-
three years here and start receiving
ugees and other noncitizens who
benefits as soon as the period in
are added to the welfare rolls each
which their sponsors are deemed
year and who, according to the Con-
liable ends.
gressional Budget Office, will re-
During a bitter debate on the issue
ceive $21.3 billion in federal public
in the House in October, Republicans
assistance funds in four major cat-
brandished a Ways and Means Com-
egories in the next five years.
mittee document showing that the
The categories are Supplemental
number of immigrants receiving Sup-
Security Income, Medicaid, food
plemental Security Income benefits
A10 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1993
stamps and Aid to Families With
increased fivefold between 1982 and
CLINTON LIBRARY PHOTOCOPY
Dependent Children (AFDC), the
1992, when immigrants accounted
main cash assistance program.
for 11 percent of the total 5.5 million
Other estimates of combined
such beneficiaries.
state and federal assistance for le-
About two-thirds of the immi-
gal noncitizens range as high as $11
grants receiving aid live in Califor-
billion a year.
nia, New York and Florida, and
In addition, illegal aliens are es-
most come from Mexico, the Phil-
timated to cost the government $2
ippines, Cuba, the former Soviet
billion more a year in federal public
Union and China.
assistance, although those costs are
In 1992, immigrants admitted to
difficult to assess because they of-
the United States numbered
ten involve deception. Undocu-
810,635, about 445,000 of whom
mented immigrants are ineligible
were sponsored by family members.
for public assistance, although their
The House debate in October
U.S.-born children can receive ben-
was marked by emotionally charged
efits.
exchanges between lawmakers-a
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