Welfare & Entitlements News

The Daily Signal covers welfare and entitlements with conservative reporting on SNAP and food stamp programs, Medicaid expansion, work requirement battles, poverty reduction strategies, fraud prevention, and the ongoing debate between compassionate reform and perpetual government dependency.
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    • News

    Walz Defends Continued Welfare Payments During Fraud Probe

    House Republicans on Wednesday grilled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison about the state’s $9 billion fraud scandal and allegations that whistleblowers faced retaliation. The hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee comes a day after the panel released a report alleging that Walz and Ellison were aware of welfare…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    Yes, We Can Stop Welfare Fraud

    Americans want to help people in need, but when government does that, about 500 billion taxpayer dollars get stolen. It’s how the system is designed, says the United Council on Welfare Fraud’s Andrew McClenahan in this new video. “You’re measuring success by the amount of money you put out.” Because of that, government agencies rarely…
    John Stossel
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    • News

    Vance Announces New Plan to Combat Nationwide Welfare Fraud

    Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration has created a new assistant attorney general position to crack down on fraud nationwide. The new official will have “nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud,” Vance said at Thursday’s White House press briefing. “Unfortunately, the American people have been defrauded in a very nationwide way,”…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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    • Opinion

    Minnesota Fraud Exposes the Baked-In Flaws of Welfare

    The U.S. welfare system is broken, and the Minnesota scandal is a blaring warning to that reality. The failure of political leaders on many fronts bears some of the blame. But the main culprit is the massive federal welfare system that annually passes hundreds of billions of dollars down to states to dole out, with the philosophy that the…
    Rachel Sheffield
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    • News

    18 States Now Allowed to Restrict Food Stamp Usage on Junk Food

    Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday that she has granted waivers to six additional states, allowing them to prevent the use of food stamps to purchase certain items, like soft drinks and candy. “President [Donald] Trump has made it clear: we are restoring SNAP to its true purpose – nutrition. Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold,…
    Daily Signal Staff
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    • Opinion

    Democrats Prioritize Welfare Over National Security

    Few speak the truth as clearly and succinctly as House Speaker Mike Johnson. Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” this past Sunday, co-host Jonathan Karl challenged the speaker’s calling the recent “No Kings” rallies “Hate America Rallies” and calling them “the modern Democratic Party.” Johnson, R-La., responded that “there is a rise of Marxism in the…
    Star Parker
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    • News

    Jeffries Rejects Republicans’ Welfare Reform Proposals

    House Democrat leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries suggested at a Thursday press conference that he would vigorously oppose Republicans' reform proposals for Medicaid and other welfare benefits, with the hope that their budget reconciliation bill fails and the GOP leadership has to seek Democrats’ votes. Jeffries, D-N.Y.—who spoke at a press briefing at the same time…
    George Caldwell
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    • News

    White House Prepares to Go After Noncitizens Who Defraud Entitlement Programs

    THE CENTER SQUARE—The White House announced Tuesday plans to help protect Social Security benefits from noncitizens and ramp up anti-fraud efforts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt outlined key points from the memorandum to reporters at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.  Through the memorandum, President Donald Trump aims to stop noncitizens and “other ineligible people” from…
    Morgan Sweeney
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    • News

    DOGE Shocker: Biden Gave Terrorists Social Security Numbers and Welfare Benefits

    The Center Square—The Biden administration not only released a record number of known or suspected terrorists into the U.S. but also gave them Social Security numbers and taxpayer-funded welfare benefits, according to a new analysis by the Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE posted its latest findings of alleged government waste, fraud, and abuse, fully funded…
    Bethany Blankley
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    • Opinion

    How a Black Movement About Freedom Became a Movement About Welfare

    The 36 million who watched President Donald Trump’s address to Congress also watched as Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Al Green shook his cane and shouted at the president. When he refused to desist, Speaker Mike Johnson ordered him removed from the chamber. Two days later, in a bipartisan vote, the House censured Green. The…
    Star Parker
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    • News

    San Francisco Starts Ban on Cash Welfare for Drug Addicts Who Refuse Treatment

    THE CENTER SQUARE—San Francisco started its ban on county-funded cash assistance for individuals with substance abuse disorders who refuse to engage in treatment. Measure F, approved by voters in March 2024, applies to the $714 per month payments to housed low-income adults, and $109 per month to homeless individuals who have been in San Francisco for more…
    Kenneth Schrupp
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    • Opinion

    Biden-Harris Admin Uses Loopholes to Expand Welfare Benefits, Again

    It seems reasonable that a program designed to assist those with low incomes should go only to low-income households. But the Biden-Harris administration is using a dubious mechanism to get around that expectation in a program designed to help low-income families pay for broadband internet service. Congress created the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program in 2020,…
    Rachel Sheffield
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    • Opinion

    Unraveling the Damage Done by Our Welfare System

    Education, employment, and family formation are “the building blocks for a flourishing life,” says the leader of the Georgia Center for Opportunity.  But, unfortunately, America’s welfare system includes penalties for both work and family formation, Randy Hicks says.  Although the safety net may not intend to punish work or the family, Hicks says, it does…
    Virginia Allen
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    • Opinion

    With Bipartisan Measure, Congress Could Expand Successful ‘One Door’ Policy on Welfare, Workforce

    The federal government has more than 90 welfare and workforce programs spread across dozens of federal agencies, with funding flowing to thousands of state and local agencies and programs. Navigating the web of welfare and workforce assistance can be a nightmare. And, too often, Americans end up trapped in the welfare web instead of being assisted…
    Rachel Greszler
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    • Opinion

    Tax and Welfare Bill Reveals Washington’s Chronic Debt Delusion

    Among the major pieces of legislation up for grabs in Congress is the inappropriately named “Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act,” which the powerful House Ways and Means Committee passed Jan. 19 with bipartisan support. The bill could receive a House floor vote as soon as this week, although there is considerable debate…
    David Ditch
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    • Opinion

    America’s Families Would Be Slammed by House Panel’s Expansion of Welfare

    A major feature of the House Ways and Means Committee’s “tax bill” is an expansion of the child tax credit. This expansion was necessary to secure Democrats’ support for the corporate tax provisions in the bill, but the trade isn’t worth the cost. The welfare-related child tax credit provisions aren’t a minor extension of the…
    Robert Rector
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    • Opinion

    A Tax Policy Trojan Horse for Welfare Expansion and Inflationary Deficits

    If you think congressional deadlocks are concerning, just wait until you see what Congress does when it’s in a blinding rush. The House Ways and Means Committee is ready to go from introducing its latest tax bill to House passage in under a week and a half. Though branded as full of middle-class tax cuts…
    Richard Stern
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    • Opinion

    Republicans Have Second Chance to Strengthen Welfare Work Requirements With Farm Bill

    The media has given outsized attention to minor modifications to work requirements for welfare recipients in the debt ceiling deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Such modifications will have a relatively modest impact despite the fact that Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike overwhelmingly support work requirements. That’s why reform-minded politicians should…
    Jamie Bryan Hall
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    • Opinion

    Work Requirements in Welfare Programs Take a Hit in Debt Ceiling Deal

    As Congress considers the debt ceiling deal negotiated by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, here’s what you need to know about the work requirements in it. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families provisions are harmful and counterproductive. They actually weaken the existing work requirements, overturn the design of…
    Robert Rector
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    • Opinion

    Why Work Requirements Are Less About Welfare Savings Than About Human Well-Being

    Most Americans think that work in exchange for government benefits is common sense. For safety-net benefits, work-capable beneficiaries should begin to work, look for work, or participate in education and training at least part time. That’s a reasonable ask and essential to long-term well-being. The Republicans in the House of Representatives get that. The draft…
    Leslie Ford
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