Political Quotes

“I know the hour is late but the subject is very important and in a few moments I would like my colleagues to consider what this amendment would do. During the course of passing the welfare reform bill, we made many changes in many programs in an effort to move people from welfare to work. There were several aspects of that bill--even though I supported the bill in its entirety--there were several aspects of that bill which were troubling, not the least of which was the reduction in nutritional assistance for children in the United States. The purpose of this amendment is to correct what I consider to be a very serious error and a serious problem in this legislation, because with this amendment we will restore food stamps for the children of legal immigrants. Keep in mind that I have said legal immigrants. These are children legally in the United States who are in poverty and have been denied the protection and sustenance of the Food Stamp Program. It is a significant problem nationwide. Over 4,000 immigrant children in Illinois have lost their food stamps because of this welfare reform bill; over 283,000 nationwide.”