WELFARE: CLINTON ADMINISTRATION CRITICIZES REFORMS

      Vice President Al Gore said yesterday that GOP-proposed
 welfare legislation moving through Congress has "some real
 shortcomings," however, he "carefully avoided predicting that it
 faced a presidential veto."  Appearing on CBS's "Face the
 Nation," Gore said that President Clinton is concerned about
 language in the bill that cuts food stamp programs and
 nonmonetary vouchers for children and prohibits legal immigrants
 from receiving benefits (Baltimore SUN, 7/22).  The Senate
 rejected two Democratic amendments Friday that would have
 retained Medicaid coverage for current welfare populations and
 would have dropped the option of allowing states to receive food
 stamp funds as a block grant.  The Senate is expected to vote on
 the full measure tomorrow (Wetzstein, WASHINGTON TIMES, 7/20).  
      THE DEBATE:  AP/Baltimore SUN reports that Clinton, "who
 took office promising radical reform of the welfare system," has
 vetoed two previous GOP welfare reform measures.  However, White
 House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said that the welfare reform
 legislation in Congress "is unacceptable" (7/21).  In addition to
 denying legal immigrants access to Medicaid, the GOP-sponsored
 legislation would also cut off their food stamp privileges and
 Supplemental Security Income benefits.  The bill would also allow
 state to deny other benefits to illegal immigrants until they
 become citizens (Havemann/Vobejda/Balz, WASHINGTON POST, 7/20).  
      GREAT COST:  Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) said that the GOP
 legislation "would impose immense new costs" on Florida,
 California, New York, Texas, Illinois, and other states with
 large numbers of immigrants.  He said that public hospitals would
 be required to treat legal immigrants but would not receive any
 reimbursement "because such immigrants would be ineligible for
 Medicaid and cannot afford private health insurance" (Pear, NEW
 YORK TIMES, 7/20).