Welfare through Work; Reform Has Improved the Lives of many.(OPED)(POLITICS IN THE CITY)

Byline: Gary Andres, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

When Congress passed welfare reform in 1996, a deeply divided Clinton team grappled with whether to support the legislation. When it did, three administration officials quit in protest; many other Democrats groused about the president's decision. Rep. Charles Rangel summed up liberal frustration. "My president - he's a winner . . . and the kids are the losers."

Fast-forward five years and analyze the results. Welfare rolls dropped more than 50 percent since the early 1990s; poverty and child hunger declined; and more single mothers are employed with rising incomes. By nearly any measure, the 1996 welfare reform bill was one of the most successful pieces of social policy legislation in American history. Yet despite its impressive track …

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Publication information: Article title: Welfare through Work; Reform Has Improved the Lives of many.(OPED)(POLITICS IN THE CITY). Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Washington Times (Washington, DC). Publication date: September 26, 2002. Page number: A23. © 2009 The Washington Times LLC. COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group.

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