Action Alert: Urge Senators to Continue Efforts to Improve Welfare

White House and Republican Senate leaders are demanding a Senate welfare vote before the mid-October recess, hoping they can attach burdensome amendments and use welfare as an election issue. Tell your senators to oppose this tactic and especially thank key senators who have been our allies. Ask them to stand firm on behalf of low-income and poor families who need the welfare safety net.

Action Needed:

If your senator has taken a leadership role in attempting to craft and pass a "real" welfare reauthorization bill, please take a moment to thank her or him. Ask your senator to stand firm if pressured to withdraw "improving" floor amendments and urge your senator to resist pressure to bring up the bill if it will be diluted by harmful amendments simply for the sake of immediate passage. A three-year extension of the old welfare law, as bad as that may seem, is still preferable to the draconian measure that the House leadership and President Bush want.

Phone calls and faxes are preferable, but e-mails to staff who work on welfare are good too, as long as you are from the senator's state.

Background:

The U.S. Senate is being pressured by many, including the editorial page of the New York Times, to bring up the Finance committee's welfare reauthorization bill before the recess in mid-October. Especially alarming is the Republican Senate Leader's proposal to bring the Finance Committee's version of the welfare reauthorization to the Senate floor for a vote while insisting on adding Republican harmful amendments.

Welfare activists and advocates who want "real" reform for poor and low income families need to contact key senators and thank them for their leadership role in attempting to enhance both the 1996 welfare law and the current Senate Finance Committee bill with important provisions and amendments. We must also ask them to stand firm under pressure if they are asked to drop or scale down their improvements (or accept punitive amendments) for the sake of speedy passage.

Because the House-passed welfare bill is such a vicious attack on poor families, the Senate version must be especially comprehensive in order to give Senate conferees a strong bargaining position for a House/Senate conference committee. We already know that the president dislikes the Senate Finance Bill and has threatened a veto if additional childcare money and educational support is included in the bill sent to him.

If you are a constituent of the following Senate champions, please call, fax or contact YOUR Senators and their welfare staff as soon as possible with the "thank you and stand firm" message. Sadly, it is preferable to pass a measure "continuing" the current welfare law for three more years than to reauthorize the welfare and TANF programs for the next five years if they resemble the draconian House measure and fail to include the important Senate improvements.

Thank the following:

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) — Responsible for scheduling the floor vote on welfare and has a major influence on its content. Voted against the Finance Committee measure because it didn't include enough money for childcare.
            staff email: joan_huffer@daschle.senate.gov
            phone: 202-224-2321
            fax: 202-224-7895

Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Chair, Senate Finance Committee — Passed the best bill possible and kept marriage promotion and abstinence only provisions to a minimum. Needs to "stick to his guns" and accept no weakening deals.
            email: douglas_steiger@finance.senate.gov
            phone: 202-224-4515
            fax: 202-228-0554

Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) — Has used his role on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to craft important amendments on reducing barriers facing poor families.
            email: rachel_gragg@wellstone.senate.gov
            phone: 202-224-5641
            fax: 202-224-8438

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) — As chair of HELP committee, he turned the tide on the welfare debate, getting 24 Senate colleagues to support the committee's "principles" of real welfare reform.
            email: holly_fechner@kennedy.senate.gov
            phone: 202-224-4543
            fax: 202-224-2417

Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) — Hopes to use her bill, S. 2876, as an amendment strategy when and if welfare vote occurs. Improvements include anti-violence, caregiving, childcare and teens measures.
            email: ann_grady@murray.senate.gov
            phone: 202-224-2621
            fax: 202-224-0238

Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) — Wants income to "stop the clock."
            email: elyse_wasch@reed.senate.gov
            phone: 202-224-4642
            fax: 202-224-4680

Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) — Wants to add important civil rights provisions.
            email: maryann_richmond@feingold.senate.gov
            phone: 202-224-5323
            fax: 202-224-2725

Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) — Wants to improve unemployment trigger and promote good jobs.
            email: heather_howard@corzine.senate.gov
            phone: 202-224-4744
            fax: 202-228-2197

If neither of your senators are on this "thank you" list, please review NOW's recent welfare alert and send another message with the "stand firm" theme.

Suggested message:

Thank you and your senator for all your hard work on the reauthorization of the welfare bill. Please continue your attempts to improve the Senate bill and stand firm in resisting pressure to support a diluted and unacceptable bill simply for the sake of immediate passage. A three-year extension of the old welfare law, as bad as that may seem, is still preferable to the draconian measure that the House leadership and President Bush want.