Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Tim Davis, Jamey Hansen, Tim Frerking, Chris Mende and Keesia Wirt.

A new welfare reform plan could save the country billions of dollars a year in aid, but despite these improvements are we overlooking some possible dangers?

The bill, which passed 74-24 in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, will greatly improve the monstrous welfare system we currently have. Lifetime welfare assistance will be limited to five years per family and recipients who have been on the program for two years will be required to accept work if it is offered to them.

These are positive changes. It’s not asking too much to require someone who is out of work to accept a job if it is offered to them. However, there are two groups of individuals that may suffer due to the change – the children and legal immigrants.

The bill will also slash food stamp benefits, including school lunch programs and deny legal immigrants a number of benefits they presently are able to receive, such as welfare, disability and Medicaid.

What will this do to the children? Is it asking too much of our government, if they are going to spend money on aid, to help ensure that every child is offered one decent meal a day? Cutting back on school lunch programs and food stamps in general will only result in hurting the children of our country.

As for the legal immigrants, they have permission, granted by our government, to stay in the United States. These are not people living here illegally, so why should we deny them aid?

The Senate seems to be welcoming these people to our country, only if they can fend for themselves and not ask for financial assistance.

Overall the bill is a step in the right direction, to improve one of America’s largest social problems. However, we just hope that the majority of people on welfare – the children – are not penalized in the process.