The U.S. Congress is considering legislation that would restore food stamp benefits to more than about 250,000 of the more than 900,000 immigrants dropped from the roles last year as a result of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. The legislation would primarily benefit children, the elderly and the disabled.

This week, the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of such legislation. Immigrant advocacy groups as well as religious and anti-hunger organizations are pushing Congress to pass the legislation that would restore food stamp benefits for immigrants.

Conservatives in the Senate had been pushing to block the legislation arguing that restoring the benefits would undermine the intentions of 1996 Act. Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX) has been leading the fight against restoring benefits. He recently spoke out against the decision by House and Senate members negotiating the bill to insert the food stamps provisions without a vote or debate on the provision. Congressmen will only have the opportunity to vote for or against the entire bill. Gramm appears to be in the minority, however, on this issue, since more than 70 senators signed a letter urging passage of the bill and the bill ultimately passed the Senate by a margin of 92 to 8.

Under the proposed legislation, food stamp benefits will be restored as part of an agricultural research bill that also includes funding for agricultural research programs and funding for the government's crop insurance program. The bill off arises nearly $818 million for the restoration of food stamps for immigrants.

The Senate vote coincided with the release of a report by Physicians for Human Rights, a group that favors the restoration of food stamp benefits for immigrants, that showed shocking hunger among green card holders in the statesof California, Texas and Illinois.

President Clinton praised the Senate vote and urged the House of Representatives to follow suit. The House is expected to vote on the matter very soon. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, a fierce advocate for restoring benefits to aliens, and has indicated that he will "not hesitate" to recommend to the President that he veto any bill where food stamp benefits restrict out.