Dianne Feinstein: “when Congress approved and the President signed the comprehensive welfare reform legislation last year, it was clear to…”

“when Congress approved and the President signed the comprehensive welfare reform legislation last year, it was clear to many that it was not a perfect bill. I, along with many of my colleagues expressed grave concern about a number of provisions that will have a devastating impact, not only on States and counties in terms of a huge cost shift, but on the lives and well-being of many elderly and disabled people--people who are now dependent upon public assistance for their survival. The provision denying supplemental security income [SSI] and food stamps to virtually all legal immigrants who are noncitizens, even those who are elderly and disabled, who cannot support themselves, who have no sponsor or other means of support, such as refugees, in my view, is one of the most egregious flaws in that bill, and one of the main reasons why I voted against its passage. Today, Senator Chafee and I, along with Senators D'Amato, Moynihan, DeWine, Lieberman, and Mikulski are offering legislation to correct this flaw.”