Since when did linking work to welfare handouts become so controversial?By Tarren Bragdon
April 26, 2023
Should you work to get welfare?
Republicans in the House of Representatives say yes. It’s the right answer.
House Republicans passed their proposal to raise the debt ceiling Wednesday, and they’ve rallied around work requirements for able-bodied childless adults on Medicaid and food stamps.
This is a smart policy that will save taxpayers billions, strengthen our economy at a critical moment and even put Social Security and Medicare on stronger financial footing.
It’s also smart politics, enjoying overwhelming support from Americans of every political stripe.
The last time the Republican Party seriously mobilized on work requirements was 30 years ago.
In the 1990s, the GOP worked with a Democratic president to fundamentally reform welfare.
They helped millions of Americans move from government dependence to financial independence, finding the dignity and opportunity that come with work.
Yet in the past decade — especially since the pandemic’s start — welfare has again been divorced from work.
The consequences are as painful as they were predictable.
At least 35 million able-bodied adults are getting government support without having to work, train or volunteer.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/04/26/since-when-did-linking-work-to-welfare-handouts-become-so-controversial/
