On the recordAugust 1, 1996
yesterday, after the President announced he would sign this legislation, I said: ``The President has made his decision. Let us hope that it is for the best.'' Today, I continue to hope for the best, even if I fear the worst. As I have stated on this floor many times, this legislation does not reform aid to families with dependent children; it simply abolishes it. It terminates the basic Federal commitment of support for dependent children in hopes of altering the behavior of their mothers. We are putting those children at risk with absolutely no evidence that this radical idea has even the slightest chance of success. In our haste to enact this bill--any bill--before the November elections, we have chosen to ignore what little we do know about the subject of poverty. Just 2 days ago, on July 30, 11 of the Nation's leading researchers in this field issued a statement urging us not to do this.
Source
govinfo.gov
