De-Federalizing Welfare

Welfare reform is a perennial topic on Capitol Hill, and until quite recently the phrase has meant one thing above all others: the increased involvement of the Federal Government.

The conventional wisdom about welfare—embodied in President Carter’s new reform proposal, lately adopted by the House—is that our problems with expanding caseloads, rising costs, and related matters result from policy discrepancies among the states. Some jurisdictions, such as Texas and Mississippi, are allegedly stingy in passing out the dollars for aid to families with dependent children (AFDC). Others—like New York or California—are more “compassionate.” The generous states, it is claimed, not only incur tremendous costs in caring for their needy, but attract a host of beneficiaries from other areas.

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M. Stanton Evans

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Welfare reform is a perennial topic on Capitol Hill, and until quite recently the phrase has meant one thing above all others: the increased involvement of the Federal Government.

The conventional wisdom about welfare—embodied in President Carter’s new reform proposal, lately adopted by the House—is that our problems with expanding caseloads, rising costs, and related matters result from policy discrepancies among the states. Some jurisdictions, such as Texas and Mississippi, are allegedly stingy in passing out the dollars for aid to families with dependent children (AFDC). Others—like New York or California—are more “compassionate.” The generous states, it is claimed, not only incur tremendous costs in caring for their needy, but attract a host of beneficiaries from other areas.