Federal Welfare Reform Law and Farm Bill on Agenda for President
Washington,
May 19, 2002 -
As most of you know, President Bush paid a visit to Columbus-and my congressional district-recently to make a pitch for his plan to update the federal welfare reform law. It was his second visit in a little more than a year, and as was the case during his previous trip to Columbus, I had the opportunity to accompany him aboard Air Force One.
Trips such as these are obviously enjoyable, but they also present me with a rare opportunity to talk with the leader of the free world about issues that I believe are important. And there was plenty of time for that as, shortly after we took off, I and several other members of Ohio’s congressional delegation who made the trip were ushered into a conference room to talk with the president.
We spent some of the time discussing the agriculture bill that Congress had approved and was awaiting the president’s signature. I had voted against the bill because I believed it was just too expensive and didn’t do enough to get aid to family farmers. Several of us meeting with the president had not supported the bill, and one of my colleagues strongly urged the president to veto the measure.
One had to be impressed with the president’s knowledge of the farm bill. He politely corrected us if we had our numbers wrong, and made it clear that while the bill certainly was not perfect, he believed it was the best deal that could be expected. He told us he planned to sign the farm bill, which he did a few days after his trip.
The president is easy to talk to. I’ve found him to be down-to-earth and engaging, someone who enjoys good conversation no matter what the subject. And he never seems to take himself too seriously.
He also seems to like our area, based on the fact that he’s visited twice in the first 17 months of his administration. According to one of his aides, the president made a point of saying how much he enjoys visiting Central Ohio.
When he came to our area last year, he did so to push for passage of his education reform plan. This year, the president came back to visit the St. Stephen’s Community Center in the Linden area of Columbus, where he made the case for his plan to update the welfare reform law of 1996. During our flight, I was able to tell the president a little about St. Stephen’s and how helpful the center has been to those in the community. It provides job training, helps those who are working toward their general education development degree (GED) and offers a host of family services.
The president told the crowd at St. Stephen’s that renewed welfare reform efforts should include more flexibility for the states and localities that actually run the programs on a day-to-day basis. As someone who served in the Ohio House of Representatives when we wrote our state’s own welfare plan six years ago, I know how important it is that we get the power out of Washington and as close to the community level as possible.
The president is passionate about this issue. It’s clear to me that he genuinely wants to see people make better lives for themselves and their families, and I think his proposals will help toward that end. As time goes on, welfare reform continues to stand out as one of the true hallmarks of the Republican revolution of the 1990’s. The president’s proposed update of the welfare reform law will help us build on that success.
