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Trump says welfare reform is coming

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Md., Friday, Feb. 24, 2017.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is signaling more reforms are ahead for the nation's welfare system. He tells conservatives that "it's time for all Americans to get off welfare and get back to work." He adds, "You're going to love it."

The nation's welfare laws were overhauled under former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. The changes provided states with grants in exchange for greater flexibility in how they can use the funds.

There's been a steady decline in the number of needy families participating in the nation's welfare program since the mid-1990s.

Trump says at the Conservative Political Action Conference that "jobs are already starting to pour back" and points to pledges for more manufacturing jobs in states like Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Also, Trump is pledging that "in a matter of days," his administration will take "a brand new action" to prevent potential terrorists from entering the U.S.

Though Trump did not specify what is coming, White House officials have said a new immigration ban will be released shortly.

The original ban was knocked down by a federal court. Trump said Friday to a gathering of conservatives that "we will not be deterred from this course."

He vowed that would "never apologize" for protecting the safety of American people and promised that "we are going to keep radical Islamic terrorism the hell out of country."

The original order sparked widespread protest.

Trump is vowing again to deport immigrants in the U.S. illegally who have committed crimes.

Trump's telling a gathering of conservatives that "as we speak today, immigration officers are finding gang members, drug dealers and criminal aliens and throwing them the hell out."

His declaration comes the day after he and one of his Cabinet secretaries offered clashing takes on the nature of the deportation push.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly pledged in Mexico that the United States won't enlist its military to enforce immigration laws and that there will be "no mass deportations."

But only hours earlier Trump suggested the opposite, saying it would be a "military operation."

Press secretary Sean Spicer later said Trump used "military" as an adjective and was stressing "precision."

In addition, Trump says he inherited a "failed health care law" in his address to the Conservative Political Action Conference. Trump claims it threatens the nation's medical system with "total catastrophe."

Trump reiterated his promise to repeal and replace the sweeping health care law signed into law by former President Barack Obama.

Trump says at CPAC that "Obamacare" doesn't work and it covers "very few people," even though the 2010 health law has provided medical insurance to 20 million Americans. The president says he and the GOP-led Congress will "make it much better" and "less expensive."

Trump continued to complain about the media's use of anonymous sources and accusing news news outlets of making up source for damaging reports about his White House.

Trump spoke just hours after members of his own staff held a press briefing in which they refused to attach their names to the information.

Trump is speaking at the nation's largest gathering of conservative activists.

He escalated his attacks on what he calls the "fake news." He says fake reporting is the "enemy of the people."

Earlier Friday, Trump blamed the FBI for failing to stop leaks to the media, saying the information being reported is classified and could have a "devastating effect" on the country.

Trump made the remarks in a tweet early Friday. His tweet follows reports that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus had asked a top FBI official to dispute media reports that Trump's campaign advisers were frequently in touch with Russian intelligence agents during the election.

Trump writes, "The FBI is totally unable to stop the national security 'leakers' that have permeated our government for a long time. They can't even find the leakers within the FBI itself."

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