CHILDCARE AT HEART OF SENATE WELFARE DEBATE

"A $1 billion dollar sticking point could put the entire Welfare Bill on the shelf for at least a month," reports Karen Tumulty from Capitol Hill. The dispute concerns the amount of money that the federal government will spend on childcare for welfare recipients. Senate majority leader Bob Dole proposes spending approximately $1 billion dollars less than the Democrats proposed in the plan authored by Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.Dakota). If the Senate cannot pass the bill tonight, it will likely be reintroduced sometime in October in a reconciliation package. Then, says Tumulty, "it would be rolled up with Medicare and tax cuts, and you'll see a 3,000 lb. gorilla turn into a 5000 lb. gorilla."