Reflections on Federal Welfare Policy essay
The major current federal welfare issues include high poverty rate, marriage penalty, the benefit loss at some levels of income, child welfare, immigrant welfare issues, and other issues. I realize that the federal welfare policy provides severe limitations on immigrants and their children, especially the Hispanic immigrant population (Katz, Lurie & Vidal, 2014, p. 9). I feel concerned about related policies because some of them are ineffective.
It has been found that historically, welfare policy has not properly contributed to the well-being of minority groups, including Native Americans, women, immigrants, gays and lesbians, single mothers, and women. Undoubtedly, many approaches to finding the solutions to welfare issues have been implemented. The U.S. government issued welfare policy that addressed the needs of interest groups in 1996. However, considerable changes were made by Obama Administration in 2012. These changes provide alternative standards to previous welfare policy. According to statistical data, “the federal government runs more than 80 means-tested welfare programs that provide cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to low-income individuals” (Rector, 2013). The cost of these programs was about $927 billion. Moreover, more than 100 million American citizens got benefits at cost of about $9,000 per recipient (Rector, 2013).
The changes provided by the U.S. government are aimed at increasing the number of recipients who get benefits without working. Critics of the welfare reform state that the new policy weakens the work requirements in welfare. These changes affect me personally because I may become the recipient of benefits. My thoughts prior to reading this week’s reading assignment were less serious. Now I understand the significance of current federal welfare issues and welfare reform. My perspective has been reinforced now that I am more informed.
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