With congressional Republicans unsure if they will ever be able to declare a clear victory over the White House in the budget battle, they’re now hoping to use welfare reform as a means of highlighting President Clinton’s govern- left, run-right strategy. On February 1, the House Republican freshman agreed that the House should pass the Senate welfare bill, which Clinton has praised and which passed the Senate 87-12 in September.
The thinking among many Republicans is that if the White House supports the bill, the GOP will gain credit for overhauling one of the nation’s least popular programs. And if Clinton signs, that might also “disintegrate his base in the Democratic party,” says Republican Rep. Jimmy Hayes (who speaks from experience, having been a Democrat until switching parties two months ago). The bigger political gain could come from a presidential veto, which Republicans say would undermine Clinton’s claim that the “the era of big government is over” and remind voters who the president really is. But House and Senate Republican leaders remain undecided, and some congressional conservatives feel the Senate bill is not tough enough to work and illegitimacy. Sheila Burke, chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and a highly influential voice in welfare policy, remains undecided. Dole’s presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee have been lobbying against any new moves on welfare, preferring to use the two previous vetoes as an issue against Clinton.
