The so-called welfare reform measure enacted in August abandoned a 60-year American tradition of federally guaranteed cash assistance to poor families, but not without staunch opposition from the Catholic community. "Our voice was heard, but not heeded," said John Carr, director of the U.S. Catholic Conference social justice department in Washington. "The entire welfare debate has reflected the needs of politicians more than the needs of poor families." But Carr praised the dogged efforts of diocesan leaders and Catholic citizens to oppose the bill, and gave them credit for several last-minute amendments that prevented even greater harm to poor children.

The bad news is

• the outright elimination of AFDC -- Aid to Families with Dependent Children -- as a federal entitlement, replacing it with block grants to the states. Instead of a national AFDC, there will be 50 separate state programs, inadequately funded by the block grants. "This isn't welfare reform, but simply reduces resources and shifts responsibility," said Bishop William Skylstad, chair of the USCC Domestic Policy Committee.
  
  

• There is a five-year lifetime limit to welfare benefits.
  
  

• After two years on welfare an individual must find a job -- even though studies keep confirming that there are almost no jobs in the inner city. Says poverty scholar William Julius Wilson of the University of Chicago, "There is harsh talk about work instead of welfare, but no talk of where to find it."
  
  

• Current legal immigrants are ineligible for cash grants and food stamps until they become citizens or have worked here at least 10 years. Future immigrants will be denied further benefits.

It could have been worse

The modest good news is that

• the mandatory family cap, denying benefits to additional children born to mothers on welfare, was defeated. "This battle the Catholic community fought virtually alone," said Carr.
  
  

• Families forced off AFDC will still get Medicaid.
  
  

• The federal Food Stamp Program was preserved as a national safety net, not folded into block grants of nutrition dollars to states. (But Food Stamp funding is drastically cut: $24 billion over six years.)
  
  

• States are required to maintain 80 percent of their past effort on welfare.
  
  

• Funds for child care were increased somewhat.

A separate piece of good news for working families is the passage of a minimum wage increase. The Catholic community has been in the front lines advocating an increase. The two-step raise will bring the minimum wage to $5.15 an hour on Sept. 1, 1997.

Signing the welfare bill Aug. 22, President Clinton insisted that it is not the end of welfare reform, but only the beginning. He said he would be back to fight for job creation programs, against the deep cuts in food stamp help to 25 million poor Americans, and against the barring of future legal immigrants from most welfare assistance. "Realistically," said the New York Times account, "this would require his leading the Democrats back to majority power in the Congress this November."

Welfare experts say the new law will force one million more children into poverty. Can the churches take up the slack? Sharon Daly of Catholic Charities USA said Aug. 1 that the budgets of U.S. Catholic Charities agencies total $2 billion, while the welfare bill cuts nearly 30 times that figure. "No one should think we could make up that gap," Daly said.

Catholic advocacy continues

Catholic social justice organizations like NETWORK aren't keeping silent now that the welfare act is law. NETWORK national coordinator Kathy Thornton told CTA News we should "continue to work at both state and federal levels to influence in a human way the implementation of this devastating law." NETWORK urges letters, faxes, calls and e-mail to one's Senators, Representative, and President Clinton.

NETWORK is also pushing to get Catholics to bring their social teaching into the voting booth Nov. 5. Dozens of NETWORK Elections '96 workshops across the country are sharpening Catholics' grasp of the candidates and the issues. To find one in your area, see the schedule on page 2. Also, NETWORK and Church Women United are preparing their usual Election Chart, summarizing candidates' positions on major issues. CTA will send this and other Catholic social justice election-year materials to all CTA members in the coming month.