President Clinton signs the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act into law, dramatically cutting the number of people eligible for federal aid. 

As President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act into law, NETWORK staff marched in protest outside the White House gates. NETWORK joined Pax Christi and several religious congregations to found the Welfare Reform Watch Project to collect multi-year statistics and anecdotal information about the law’s impact on low-income families. NETWORK also provided testimony to Congress and published several reports that drew media attention.

The first Welfare Reform Watch Project report, “Poverty Amid Plenty,” was released in April 1999.

Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker of the House of Representatives, becoming the first woman to serve in this position.