Thomas Daschle: “I believe we have to ensure, regardless of what else we do, that children do not pay for the mistakes or circumstances…”

“I believe we have to ensure, regardless of what else we do, that children do not pay for the mistakes or circumstances of their parents. Of the 14 million people on AFDC, 9 million are children. They did not ask to be born into these circumstances. They cannot get their parents out of these circumstances. Most importantly, these 9 million children are part of our future. We talk a lot about State flexibility, but the pending bill does not allow States to provide any assistance to children after 5 years. What my amendment does is simply say we will not prohibit the States from providing care for children if they so desire. If ever there was an argument for State flexibility, this is it. We are simply giving States the option to assist poor children, clothe children, or help children to stay off the streets. We are not telling States they have to do it; we are simply saying we will not prevent them from doing it.”