PUSHING WELFARE REFORM

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President Clinton, preparing to launch his welfare reform program in Congress next week, told TIME why he thinks his plan will work. "We go after what is the real source of this problem, which is the inordinate number of out-of-wedlock births in this country" he said in an exclusive interview. Under his $9.3 billion scheme, moms now receiving aid would be forced to work after 24 months on the dole. The program would also crack down on deadbeat dads. In a Congress overloaded with legislation, welfare reform may very well be pushed through because there is bi-partisan mometum. Much of that push comes from voters. In a TIME poll, 81 percent of those surveyed supported fundamental welfare reform, even if it costs more. Clinton obviously appreciates that sentiment, and has honed his message: "Almost all the poor people in America today are young people with little chldren. I worry about them now. I desperately worry about them."