In 1996, President Clinton pledged to "end welfare as we knew it," and with broad support from both parties in Congress, he did. Welfare's status as a federal entitlement was removed, and instead states were put in charge of assigning time limits and work requirements for people receiving assistance.
Today, seven years later, the number of people on welfare is down, even lower that people expected. Those who were critics grudgingly admit that the reforms have been a success. President Bush is now proposing a tougher version of the law, one that demands welfare recipients work even more hours. But some point to the faltering economy and say this is exactly the wrong time for such changes.
