Five years ago, with the scratch of a pen, President Clinton ended the nation's 61-year guarantee of federal assistance for poor families.

In the ensuing years millions of families - most of them headed by single women and most with two children - have been driven off the welfare rolls as the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program was replaced by Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF). When Congress ended "welfare as we know it," what was put in its place was a mish-mosh of some 50 state-run programs.

The 1996 law comes up for reauthorization next year and already the debate, with conflicting charges and countercharges, has begun. Congress must decide the future of welfare before Oct. 1, 2002.

It will take some work to sort out the facts as the battle unfolds. We will do whatever we can to help in that effort. But we must also build a movement that can force Congress to correct its action of five years ago - and we will do whatever we can to this end, too.

The next six weeks offer two opportunities. On Aug. 22, the fifth anniversary of welfare "reform," the Congressional Progressive Caucus will hold a hearing on reauthorization in Washington. The National Organization for Women and other groups are urging people who are represented by members of the Progressive Caucus to hold town hall meetings during that week or during the October recess.

A second opportunity comes on Sept. 11, when representatives of 20 organizations will address members of Congress at a policy meeting in Washington. Co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO, United Church of Christ and several other groups, the briefing will highlight the experiences of mothers on welfare and offer progressive proposals for change in existing law.

Too many sat on their hands during the 1996 battle over welfare reform. This is a different situation, though, and there is an opportunity to change things. Of course, it takes a fight to win.