Guest Blogger: Reboot the Welfare System

Rep. Jim Jordan / March 21, 2011

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 1996. So why – 15 years later – has the situation only gotten worse?

First, a little background (watch this quick video, too). The 1996 law replaced a failing program (AFDC) with a new one (TANF) that required able-bodied adults to either work or prepare for work in order to receive benefits. These requirements have helped millions of families become able to provide for themselves again.

So far, so good … except that combined state and federal welfare spending has almost doubled since 1996. Americans have spent $16 trillion on welfare since President Lyndon Johnson declared a War on Poverty in 1964, and we’re slated to spend another $10 trillion or more over the next decade. But even with all these resources put toward assistance for the poor, poverty is actually higher today than it was in the 1970s. (more…)