Food Stamp Participation the Highest Ever…and Growing
The number of Americans on food stamps (or, as it is now called, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) is higher than ever before,… Read More
Welfare: Tackling the Fastest-Growing Part of Government Spending
Multiple reports of welfare abuse have hit the headlines in recent weeks, from a million-dollar lottery winner receiving food stamps to a Massachusetts drug dealer… Read More
Welfare Money Being Used to Post Bail?
Welfare cash may have been used to get a Massachusetts drug dealer “out of jail free.” The Boston Herald reports: Kimball Clark, 45, was locked… Read More
More Government Welfare Doesn’t Equal Poverty Relief
A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, more commonly known as food stamps) helps “alleviate”… Read More
Welfare Is Cool at ‘Food Stamp Friday’ Party
Apparently government assistance is the hip new thing. As The Daily Caller reports, “A nightclub in Montgomery, Ala. is raising eyebrows by hosting a ‘Food… Read More
House Oversight Hearing Shines Light on Food-Stamp Fraud
Food-stamp fraud and the government’s failed attempts to stop it were the focus of a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing yesterday. Chairman Darrell… Read More
Virginia Drug Tests for Welfare Recipients and Personal Responsibility
On Tuesday, the Virginia senate approved a bill that would require an initial drug screening of welfare applicants, followed by drug testing if officials suspected… Read More
Morning Bell: Dependence on Government Highest in History
When John F. Kennedy was President, just over a quarter of federal spending went to fund programs paying for some 21.7 million Americans to be… Read More
Dependence on Government at All-Time High
The 2012 Index of Dependence on Government, released today, should be a wake-up call for America. Published by The Heritage Foundation for the past 10… Read More
What Saturday Night Live, Welfare, and Harry Potter Have in Common
If there’s one thing Saturday Night Live is good at in an election year, it’s lampooning politicians—whether it’s been Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford, Darrell… Read More
Welfare Dependence Keeps Growing
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article citing 2010 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly half (48.5 percent) of America’s population now lives… Read More
Maine Conservatives Leading the Way on Welfare Reform
Proving they are serious about mitigating their citizens’ dependence on government welfare programs, conservative members of Maine’s state legislature continue to push the state towards… Read More
Restoring Personal Responsibility in Welfare
Fifteen years ago, Congress voted to “end welfare as we know it.” As a result, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was created… Read More
PODCAST: What’s the Truth about Poverty?
In this week’s Heritage in Focus, researcher Rachel Sheffield discusses her new report on poverty in America. PODCAST: What’s the Truth About Poverty? Is there… Read More
Michigan Takes on Welfare Reform
In the national effort to overcome dependence on government, Michigan has just moved one step forward toward ensuring that welfare promotes self-reliance. On Tuesday, Governor… Read More
Welfare Reform Turns 15
Fifteen years ago today, after lengthy battles between a Republican-led Congress and a Democratic White House, President Bill Clinton signed into law the 1996 Personal… Read More
10 Two-Letter Words That Inspired Gov. Paul LePage to Reform Maine
He left home at 11 after a rough childhood, spending time on the streets, yet managed to finish both high school and college. He later… Read More
Welfare Spending Under the Boehner Plan
Bob Greenstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities claims that the Boehner budget is a form of “class warfare.” He says that “if… Read More
Faith Leaders Meet with Obama to Protect Welfare State
On July 20, 12 Christian leaders met with President Obama at the White House to voice concerns about the prospect of budget cuts to government… Read More
Kentucky Faith-Based Organization Helps Poor Achieve True Human Flourishing
Adding to the looming national debt crisis, means-tested government welfare spending continues to skyrocket, with no significant improvement in poverty rates. Private, faith-based community leaders,… Read More
PODCAST: Poverty in America
In this week’s Heritage in Focus, senior fellow Robert Rector breaks down the myths, distortions and confusion surrounding poverty in America. Make sure to listen… Read More
President Obama Admits Welfare Encourages Dependency
During his Twitter Townhall on Wednesday, President Obama admitted that government welfare has created dependency. He noted: I think we should acknowledge that some welfare… Read More
Top 10 Reads: July 6, 2011
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. What would the founders do about… Read More
Poverty Immigrating to America’s Welfare State
Welfare spending is projected to skyrocket over the next 10 years, costing taxpayers $10.3 trillion and driving the United States toward bankruptcy. To make matters… Read More
Guest Blogger: Reboot the Welfare System
To most Americans, the phrase “welfare reform” conjures memories of a bipartisan law that President Clinton said would “end welfare as we know it” in… Read More
Morning Bell: How Many Trillions Must We Waste on the War on Poverty?
Which American politician said the following? “The lessons of history, confirmed by the evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief induces… Read More
What Newton Can Remind Us about Good Intentions
When studying Isaac Newton’s laws of motion in high school, we all learn that every action has a reaction. I was recently reminded of that… Read More
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to Speak on Welfare Reform
The 112th Congress is out of the gate, and so is its mantra of getting government spending under control. But there’s one piece of the… Read More
Inequality Statistics and Poverty Facts
“Facts are stubborn things,” wrote Mark Twain, “but statistics are more pliable.” Jonathan Alter amply demonstrates this truism in last weekend’s New York Times Book… Read More
Morning Bell: The Left Still Doesn’t Get Poverty
‘Culture of Poverty’ Makes a Comeback reads the headline from this past Sunday’s New York Times. Patricia Cohen goes on to report: “[I]n the overwhelmingly… Read More
