Welfare spending is at a staggering, all-time high. A new government report confirms that the U.S. now spends roughly $1 trillion a year on what has become a behemoth welfare system consisting of more than 80 federal programs. Robert Rector explains more in congressional testimony from earlier this year: “Examining the Means-Tested Welfare State.”
This news comes in the wake of the controversy that erupted this summer when the Obama Administration announced it would gut work requirements from welfare’s largest cash-assistance program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Here’s a recap of Heritage’s top publications and interviews on the Obama Administration’s illegal move to waive the work requirements in welfare reform:
“An Overview of Obama’s End Run on Welfare Reform” (Robert Rector)
The Heritage Foundation, 9/20/2012
Summarizes the key points of the Obama Administration’s overturning of welfare work requirements.
“Obama’s End Run on Welfare Reform Part One: Understanding Workfare” (Robert Rector)
The Heritage Foundation, 9/20/2012
Explains how “workfare” works.
“Obama’s End Run on Welfare Reform, Part Two: Dismantling Workfare” (Robert Rector)
The Heritage Foundation, 9/26/2012
Provides a comprehensive analysis of the Obama Administration’s action to overturn welfare work requirements.
“How Obama Has Gutted Welfare Reform” (Robert Rector)
The Washington Post, 9/6/2012
Summarizes the issue.
“Video: Robert Rector on the PBS News Hour” (Robert Rector)
PBS, 8/9/2012
Robert Rector debates Peter Edelmann on welfare, welfare reform, and the attack on work requirements.
“Welfare Reform’s Work Requirements Cannot Be Waived” (Andrew Grossman)
The Heritage Foundation, 8/8/2012
Explains why the Obama Administration’s waiver of work requirements is illegal.
“Report Finds Obama Can Waive Welfare Work Requirements…or Not” (Andrew Grossman)
The Heritage Foundation, 9/14/2012
Reviews the Congressional Research Service report on the legality of the Obama Administration’s waiver of work requirements.
“Gutting Welfare Reform at Taxpayer Expense” (Robert Rector)
The Heritage Foundation, 9/24/2012
Liberals in the House of Representatives voted unsuccessfully to jettison the federal work requirements of the welfare reform law. Worse, they voted to increase the national debt to accomplish it.
“Video: Fact Checking the Fact Checkers on Welfare Reform” (Sarah Morris)
The Heritage Foundation, 9/20/2012
This event features Senator Orrin Hatch (R–UT), Robert Rector, Mickey Kaus, and Kay Hymowitz discussing the Obama Administration’s attack on work requirements in welfare.
“Obama Guts Welfare Reform” (Robert Rector and Kiki Bradley)
The Heritage Foundation, 7/12/2012
This initial article, which broke the news, blew the whistle on the Obama Administration’s illegal attempt to overturn the welfare work requirements.
Other Materials
“Obama’s Palace Guard: How Media Fact Checkers Made Themselves of Service to the President in the Welfare Reform Debate” (Mark Hemingway)
The Weekly Standard, 10/12/2012
Discusses the distortions of the waiver issues by the mainstream media’s so-called fact checkers.
“The Welfare Waivers: How They Really Do Water Down Work Requirements” (Russell Sykes)
Manhattan Institute, 10/2012
The chief administrator of New York’s TANF program explains how the Obama Administration’s waiver policy will potentially undermine the TANF work requirements.
Various articles appearing in the Daily Caller by Mickey Kaus: “Obama Weakens Welfare Reform—Again” (7/13/2012); “The Case for Romney’s Welfare Attack” (8/8/2012); “NYT Proves Romney Right on Welfare” (8/10/2012); “The Welfare Issue Is Back” (8/28/2012); “Credulous Fact-Checkers Fall for 20% Scam” (9/2/2012); “Welfare Fight, Round Four” (9/14/2012).
