Under TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) welfare caseloads have shrunk from 12.6 million in 1997 to fewer than 5 million in 2007. Currently, welfare recipients are limited to a total of 5 years of federal benefits over a life-time. They are also required to begin working after two years of government support. Since 1965 welfare had been open-ended, but TANF changed all of that.
Guess what? A stealth provision in the House of Representatives version of the stimulus bill makes TANF open-ended once again, as are Social Security and Medicare. The language, "such sums as are necessary," was inserted in the section of the House bill dealing with cash assistance to low income families.
The source for this information was an article by Benjamin Sasse and Kerry Weems in yesterday's WSJ.
1 comment:
Yes I figured as much. It will be a horrible day when we all realize just how bad this bill is. Ugh. Don't 56% of the people's opinion about it count?
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