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January 27, 2026
How to Prevent a Repeat of Massive Fraud and Abuse
Welfare fraud scandals in Minnesota have focused the nation’s attention on benefit abuse, and the US Department of Labor recently detailed a team there to investigate whether unemployment insurance (UI) benefits have been ripped off. There’s a good chance the answer is yes, and that some of the blame resides with how we pay for…
September 23, 2025
Trump Halts ‘Food Insecurity’ Report — Because Democrats’ Doublespeak Is Falling Flat
Last week President Donald Trump’s Agriculture Department canceled the government’s annual Household Food Security survey — arguing the “nonstatutory report has become overpoliticized,” and amounts to “subjective, liberal fodder” that does “nothing more than fearmonger.” Experts on the left predictably objected, but Trump can point to support from an unexpected place: The Democrat-aligned group Third Way. In a recent memo, the center-left think tank…
August 8, 2025
The One Big Beautiful Bill Includes Conservative Welfare Reforms Worth Expanding
Republicans have plenty to tout in their One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), including its extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, improved border security, and strengthened national defense. . .But the new law also is noteworthy for leaning on key welfare reforms with a proven track record of success. Those policies—namely, applying work requirements and creating a financial…
July 17, 2025
Even after the One Big Beautiful Bill, Loopholes Allow Illegal Alien Adults to Receive Welfare and Other Benefits
One major set of policies Republicans touted in their One Big Beautiful Bill (now officially Public Law 119-21, signed on July 4, 2025) sought to end government benefit payments to illegal aliens. But while the new law advances that agenda, such as by preventing illegal alien parents from receiving federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments,…
March 11, 2025
Democrats’ DOGE Delusions
While occupied with budget bills to keep the government open and set future spending and tax levels, Congress is also cleaning up past messes. Today, the House is expected to vote on legislation to hold criminals accountable for stealing over $100 billion in pandemic-era unemployment benefits. All agree on the urgent need for action, but Democrats’…
February 4, 2025
Snip, Snip: Spending Cuts Are Coming
Republicans’ agenda of cutting taxes and increasing spending on their policy priorities depends significantly on identifying productive spending reductions. But just cutting spending will not be enough. Republicans must also explain how their tax and spending cuts will result in better outcomes for all Americans. The federal debt has exploded to $36 trillion and annual…
January 3, 2025
Thanks, Joe Manchin
During transitions of power, it’s easy to fixate on a new administration’s nominees and legislative agenda while losing sight of those exiting the political stage. But as the new Congress begins today, we shouldn’t ignore the significant contributions of outgoing Senator Joe Manchin (I., W.Va.), a stalwart advocate of work over welfare dependency — even when…
December 31, 2024
Farewell, President Stimulus
When it comes to stimulus, President Joe Biden has carved out a signature spot in American history. From his role as “sheriff” overseeing Democrats’ massive 2009 stimulus law to signing an even bigger stimulus bill as president in 2021, Biden is more closely associated with partisan stimulus policy than any other politician. And the disastrous political consequences of…
December 27, 2024
DOGE Can Drive Reforms in America’s Broken Safety Net Programs
America’s broken safety net system has over 80 programs, costs $1.6 trillion annually, and perpetually underperforms. It’s inefficient, costly, and perversely functions like a snare net that traps people in poverty. But reform could be on the horizon, led by the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE can address these staggering failures by identifying…
October 9, 2024
Kamala Harris’s Main Priority Is Expanding Welfare, Not Strengthening the Middle Class
Last week’s vice-presidential debate was chock-full of references to the middle class and plans to improve conditions for the middle class. That’s also a common refrain to the stump speech of presidential candidate Kamala Harris: She touts that she comes from the middle class, supports the middle class, and values the work ethic that defines the…