The Dems' Main Narrative for the Schumer Shutdown Is Falling Apart
CNN's Van Jones Reveals What Schumer Told Him Three Months Ago About Shutting...
AG Bondi to Appeal 'Woefully Insufficient' Sentence for Justice Kavanaugh's Would-be Assas...
No, NYT, We Don't Need to Feel Bad for These People
Scott Wiener: Accusations of Fascism Will Continue Until Conservatives Bend the Knee to...
Colorado Authorities Reopen Investigation Into Death of Hunter S. Thompson
Maxwell House Coffee’s Temporary Rebrand Is Something Else
Hope Amid Chaos in Nigeria
Maryland Accountant Sentenced to 3 Years for $24M COVID Relief Fraud
Over 90,000 Investors Scammed in $200M Bitcoin Fraud
Federal Agents Rammed, Boxed In by 10 Vehicles Near Chicago
Flexing Fraud: Fake Gym at Center of $3M PPP Scam
The Train of Progress Must Not Be Derailed
Trump Ends the Green Scam — Now the Crying Caucus Is Out of...
Make Protecting Animals Great Again: The Trump Administration Is Ending Animal Cruelty
OPINION

New 2016 Poll: Welfare Work Requirements Are A Winner

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Ronald Reagan once said that the best social program is a job. He was right. In the history of civilization, work has proven to be the most effective way to lift people out of poverty. But sadly, many social programs, ostensibly intended to eliminate poverty, punish work rather than promote it.

Advertisement

Perhaps even worse, a plethora of states have eroded work requirements in programs where they already exist: for most of this year, more than 40 states waived the requirement that able-bodied adults with no children work at least 20 hours a week in order to receive food stamps.

At first glance, this policy change may seem compassionate or inconsequential. It’s neither. A lack of work requirements strengthens the grip of the poverty trap and makes it even more difficult for Americans to climb the economic ladder. Thankfully, some states are leading the charge to reverse this trend.

In 2013, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback blazed the trail by restoring food stamp work requirements statewide. In 2014, Maine Governor Paul LePage restored work requirements as well, moving adults out of welfare and back into the workforce. These common-sense decisions have preserved resources for the truly needy, ushered enrollees toward work and a better life, and provided a boost to their states’ economies.

No wonder nearly 20 states are expected to enforce work requirements statewide next year, including Louisiana, where Governor and 2016 hopeful Bobby Jindal announced just last month that he was following suit.

Advertisement

Another positive sign: congressional leaders are already discussing ways to expand work requirements to all able-bodied adults on food stamps and implement the requirements in Medicaid for the first time.

But work requirements aren’t just good policy. In fact, as a new poll by FGA Action confirms, they’re also incredibly popular.

FGA Action commissioned surveys of 2,182 likely Republican primary voters in four key caucus and primary states – Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida. The results are clear: GOP voters overwhelmingly support work requirements for welfare.

In Iowa, where 2016 candidates will face their first electoral showdown, more than 63 percent of likely caucus attendees support expanding work requirements to all able-bodied adults on food stamps. In New Hampshire, which hosts the first primary election for the 2016 campaign, a whopping 79 percent of likely voters support expanding work requirements. And in South Carolina and Florida, two other key primary states, nearly three-quarters of Republicans voters support this common-sense reform.

Advertisement

Even more Republican voters are ready to incorporate work requirements in Medicaid, something the Obama administration has adamantly opposed. Support ranges from 64 percent in Iowa to a whopping 83 percent in New Hampshire.

Moving Americans from welfare to work is the compassionate choice that gives enrollees a ladder out of the welfare pit and the hope of a better life. These reforms also are vastly politically popular, making them a true win-win for policymakers.

FGA Action’s latest poll clearly shows that 2016 GOP voters are ready for meaningful welfare reform. Are the candidates listening?

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement