Welfare, food stamp shift to states reported on hold

The administration suspended for the year its efforts to draft legislation to transfer welfare and food stamp programs to the states - a key element of President Reagan's ''new federalism.'' Administration officials assigned to the task have not met since early March and a March 16 deadline for the proposal passed with little progress made.

In exchange for the states' assuming the costs of welfare and food stamps, Mr. Reagan proposed the federal government take responsibility for medicaid.