PRI19980512.2000.0150
NEWS
TRANSCRIPT
The Senate has voted to restore food stamps for a quarter million
legal immigrants. It's part of a $1.9 billion agriculture research
Bill which the Senate passed and sent to the house today. NPR's Peter
Kenyon reports. The food stamp restoration would apply to fewer than
a third of the immigrants who lost eligibility under welfare reform.
Only children, the elderly, and the disabled would once again be able
to collect food stamps. The restoration is included in an agriculture
research Bill. Senator Graham wanted the Bill returned to a house-senate
conference committee to have the food stamp provision removed. The
biggest problem with the Bill is it puts a great big neon sign on
the border of the United States of america, and the neon sign says
"come to America and get welfare, we have A welfare office on every
corner." But a number of senators supported the partial restoration,
while others were simply unwilling to delay the agriculture Bill any
longer. They noted that critical crop insurance provisions are already
overdue, causing anxiety among the nation's farmers. Peter Kenyon,
NPR news, the capital.