The Pros And Cons Of Welfare Reform

For the melioration of the United States, welfare must undergo a serious change. Currently, the entire welfare system encourages people not to work, which creates behavioral poverty. The 1996 welfare reform legislation contains too many loopholes, and allows for many exemptions. Welfare needs to be reformed, to include more stringent work requirements, and less exemptions.

Welfare is defined as, “governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need” (The Definition). Economic welfare generally refers to financial support. The main purpose of an economic welfare system is to assist citizens who are not able to support themselves or their families due to unemployment, underemployment, hardship, unskilled labor capacity, disability,

First being a five-year time limit. The five-year time limit had large loopholes. Families receiving child only grants are not held to the life time limit. If the TANF case does not include an adult, the months of TANF received do not count towards the limit. Households can receive TANF beyond the 60-month limit, by qualifying for a hardship extension. Hardships include domestic violence, disability, caring for a disabled family member, participating in an approved education or training program, certain working families, pregnancy, loss of a job, and other certain emergency situations. In most cases, extensions last as long as you are eligible for it. Only 2% of TANF recipients have been removed from the program as a result of the time

Suppose a parent on welfare raises children on nothing but welfare funds. The children grow, never seeing their parents go to work. These children are expected to finish their education, join the work force, and contribute to society. There are numerous conflicts of expectations, with the upbringing of children in this type of environment. Now another generation will receive welfare funds. Should said generation become parents while still on welfare? What happens next? The system again has become self-perpetuating. In order to teach children, the way to live, an individual must display such characteristics. Parents who work while still receiving welfare show a much better