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    Welfare: Obama Wanted to Gut Work Requirements in 2009

    President Obama had been seeking ways to circumvent the 1996 welfare work requirements since coming to office, according to a 2009 memo released Tuesday by Representative David Camp (R–MI) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R–UT). “From the first year the Obama Administration took power, it was trying to find any legal … More

    Heritage Responds to Senator Rubio on Immigration Study

    The Heritage Foundation has issued the following statement in response to Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) comments about our new study on the cost of amnesty. Senator Rubio’s family story is a testament to the American Dream. His parents’ ability to scrimp and save and sacrifice for their children is something … More

    Work Is the Best Way out of Poverty, Most Americans Agree

    Most Americans believe “work is the best solution for poverty,” according to a recent Rasmussen Report. A full 80 percent of Americans agree with this statement (9 percent disagree and 11 percent are undecided). Using work to fight poverty was the driving force behind the welfare reforms of 1996. Temporary … More

    Budgets in Comparison: Will President Obama’s Budget Save the American Dream?

    When the President’s budget comes out Wednesday, it will complete the last piece of the budget puzzle, as the House and Senate have each duly passed a budget according to law. Never mind that the President’s budget is supposed to lead Washington budget discussions, rather than follow. The key question … More

    Dumping Welfare Work Requirements Is Not Innovation

    According to a statement by the Obama Administration in March, a House bill that reinforces the welfare work requirements of the 1996 reform act equates to an “unnecessary bar to innovative welfare-to-work strategies.” What are these “innovative” strategies? Last year, the Obama Administration simply waived compliance with the already lenient … More

    WSJ: Food Stamp Rolls Remain High Despite Economic Improvement

    The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last week that even with improvements in the economy, food stamp participation rates have reached all-time highs. Since 2008, enrollment has increased by 70 percent, reaching a record 47.8 million this past December. Funding for the food stamp program—or, as it’s now called the … More

    Morning Bell: Farewell from Ed Feulner

    Dear friends, Today is my last day as president of The Heritage Foundation, and I want to write you one last note in that capacity. We’ve had quite a ride these last three-and-a-half decades, and I leave knowing that Heritage will flourish under my successor, Jim DeMint. I want to … More

    Wisconsin Welfare Reform Promotes Self-Sufficiency

    Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) says welfare dependence is no measure of success when it comes to helping the poor. “Sadly, there are some in our nation’s capital who measure success in government by how many are dependent on the government,” said the governor. “Our mindset in Wisconsin is a … More

    Eliminate the Ineffective SNAP Employment and Training Program

    Senator Pat Roberts’s (R–KS) amendment to the Senate’s budget plan (S.Con.Res. 8) to eliminate funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) Employment and Training Program is a serious attempt at imposing some much-needed fiscal discipline in Congress. According to the Government Accountability Office, officials at SNAP did not track … More

    Food Stamps Participation Hit Record Highs in 2012

    A record number of Americans received food stamps in 2012. Citing the latest statistics released by the Department of Agriculture, the Weekly Standard reported food stamp participation was at an average of 46,609,072 people every month of 2012. In December of last year, 47,791,996 people received food stamps, or one … More