KINDER, GENTLER WELFARE CUTS

In a series of votes, House members modified theGOP's welfare reform billto increase funding for child care and permit some ill and disabled immigrants to continue to receive welfare benefits. Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) said her amendment would add $150 million a year to the $1.94 billion for child care, but Democrats called it a drop in the bucket. Quoting former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), paraphrasing former Texas governor Ann Richards said: "You can put lipstick on a sow and call it Monique but it's still a pig."