Dems’ Welfare Waivers Hurt Needy Families’ Welfare

September 20, 2012

Dems’ Welfare Waivers Hurt Needy Families’ Welfare

As Democrats Fail to Create Jobs for Struggling Families, Their Policies Encourage More Government Dependency Instead

A new report shows that the number of adults on food stamps has doubled since Democrats waived a key work requirement under their failed stimulus—the latest reminder of how Democrats’ policies have encouraged more government dependency.
This increase is particularly noteworthy because of the Obama administration’s recent decision to gut the 1996 welfare reform act by waiving work requirements.
It’s just more evidence that today’s Democrats have drifted towards an increasingly extreme agenda that trashes bipartisan successes like welfare reform and believes more government is the solution to every problem.

A new report shows that the number of adults on food stamps has doubled since Democrats waived a key work requirement under their failed stimulus—the latest reminder of how Democrats’ policies have encouraged more government dependency:

CRS REPORT: “NUMBER OF ABLE-BODIED ADULTS ON FOOD STAMPS DOUBLED AFTER OBAMA SUSPENDED WORK REQUIREMENT” UNDER STIMULUS:(Phillip Klein, “CRS Report: Number of Able-Bodied Adults on Food Stamps Doubled After Obama Suspended Work Requirement,” The Washington Examiner, 9/19/2012)

NUMBER OF ABLE-BODIED ADULTS ON FOOD STAMPS INCREASED FROM 1.9 MILLION IN 2008 TO 3.9 MILLION IN 2010: (Phillip Klein, “CRS Report: Number of Able-Bodied Adults on Food Stamps Doubled After Obama Suspended Work Requirement,” The Washington Examiner, 9/19/2012)

INCREASE NOT PURELY A FUNCTION OF POOR ECONOMY: “Though the weakening of the economy would have led to an increase in food stamp usage with or without a waiver, the doubling of the use of food stamps by the able-bodied population without dependents exceeded the 43 percent increase in food stamp usage among the broader population over the same 2008 to 2010 time frame.” (Phillip Klein, “CRS Report: Number of Able-Bodied Adults on Food Stamps Doubled After Obama Suspended Work Requirement,” The Washington Examiner, 9/19/2012)

This increase is particularly noteworthy because of the Obama administration’s recent decision to gut the 1996 welfare reform act by waiving work requirements:

“WELFARE SHIFT SHOULD BE PUT BEFORE CONGRESS, GAO SAYS”: “The Government Accountability Office said Tuesday that the Obama administration should give Congress the chance to block its plan that lets states tweak a welfare-type program that pays needy families.” (Louise Radonofsky and Damian Paletta, “Welfare Shift Should Be Put Before Congress, GAO Says,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/4/2012)

WELFARE REFORM ARCHITECT ROBERT RECTOR: OBAMA “GUTTED” WELFARE REFORM’S WORK REQUIREMENTS: (Robert Rector, “Robert Rector: How Obama is Gutting Welfare Reform,” The New Hampshire Union Leader, 9/10/2012)

FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS HHS HAS TRIED TO ISSUE WAIVERS FROM WELFARE REFORM WORK REQUIREMENTS: “The members of Congress closely involved in drafting this law have asserted that Obama’s action contradicts the letter and intent of the statute. For 15 years after welfare reform was enacted, no waivers of work requirements were issued by HHS. No such waivers were discussed because it was clear to all that Congress had never provided the department with such waiver authority.” (Robert Rector, “Robert Rector: How Obama is Gutting Welfare Reform,” The New Hampshire Union Leader, 9/10/2012)

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY DENIES OBAMA WAIVED WORK REQUIREMENTS: (“Candidates Spar Over Welfare Reform on the Campaign Trail,” PBS News Hour, 8/9/2012)

WHOPPING 83% FAVOR WELFARE WORK REQUIREMENTS:(“83% Favor Welfare Work Requirements,” Rasmussen Reports, 7/18/2012)

It’s just more evidence that today’s Democrats have drifted towards an increasingly extreme agenda that trashes bipartisan successes like welfare reform and believes more government is the solution to every problem:

WSJ: OBAMA HAS “MADE WELFARE’S WORK REQUIREMENTS FAR WEAKER, AND FOR IDEOLOGICAL REASONS”: “The Administration has made welfare’s work requirements far weaker, and for ideological reasons that the press corps has failed to report.” (Review and Outlook, “Welfare Reform As We Knew it,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/20/2012)

WELFARE REFORM IS ONE OF “THE FEW SERIOUS BIPARTISAN REFORMS OF GOVERNMENT SINCE THE GREAT SOCIETY”: “The 1996 welfare landmark is among the few serious bipartisan reforms of government since the Great Society.” (Review and Outlook, “Welfare Reform As We Knew it,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/20/2012)

WELFARE CASELOADS WERE CUT IN HALF AFTER WELFARE REFORM: “Unreconstructed liberals—then about half of Democrats in Congress—predicted a return to Bleak House. Some Clinton officials resigned when he signed the bill. They were wrong in every way. Caseloads plunged by half, to 5.9 million in 2000 from 12.6 million in 1996.” (Review and Outlook, “Welfare Reform As We Knew it,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/20/2012)

MOST WHO GOT OFF WELFARE FOUND WORK AND SAW THEIR INCOME RISE: “Health and Human Service Department studies show that most found work and saw their incomes rise.” (Review and Outlook, “Welfare Reform As We Knew it,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/20/2012)

AS DEMOCRATS PROPOSE MORE GOVERNMENT DEPENDENCY, THEIR STIMULUS HAS FAILED TO FIX OUR ECONOMY:

“NOWHERE TO HIDE IN A REPORT THAT PAINTED A PICTURE OF AN ANEMIC ECONOMIC RECOVERY”:(Ben White, “Jobs Report Challenges Obama’s Economic Message,” Politico, 9/7/2012)

ECONOMIST: “IT’S HARD TO FIND ANY REDEEMING ASPECTS TO THIS JOBS REPORT. … THE ECONOMY APPEARS TO REMAIN STUCK IN THE MUD.” (James Pethokoukis, “Oh My, JP Morgan Economist Just Absolutely Destroys the August Jobs Report,” The American Enterprise Institute, 9/7/2012)

AP: “BLEAK REPORT” SHOWS ONLY 96,000 JOBS CREATED IN AUGUST: (Julie Pace and Donna Cassata, “Convention Over, Obama Hit With Weak Job Report,” Associated Press, 9/7/2012)

368,000 AMERICANS GAVE UP LOOKING FOR WORK IN THE OBAMA ECONOMY: (Jeff Cox, “New Jobs at 96,000, Missing Expectations; Rate Hits 8.1%,” CNBC, 9/7/2012)

23 MILLION UNEMPLOYED, UNDEREMPLOYED AND DISCOURAGED WORKERS: (“The Employment Situation—August 2012,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9/7/2012)

UNEMPLOYMENT HAS ONLY BEEN ABOVE 8% FOR 43 STRAIGHT MONTHS UNDER OBAMA, MORE THAN 11 PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS COMBINED: (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9/7/2012)

UNEMPLOYMENT TO “REMAIN ELEVATED FOR ANOTHER FIVE TO SIX YEARS”: “Federal Reserve officials agreed at a meeting in June that unemployment would remain elevated for another five to six years, but most did not regard that as a reason for the Fed to expand its efforts to stimulate growth, according to an official account published Wednesday.” (Binyamin Appelbaum, “Fed is Torn on Tipping Point for Action,” The New York Times, 7/11/2012)

Dems’ Welfare Waivers Hurt Needy Families’ Welfare http://ow.ly/dRJ9l