The 2018 Farm Bill marks an important step forward in the national discussion on welfare reform. Reforms that seek to move able-bodied adults from welfare to work and improve program integrity are necessary for ensuring resources are preserved for those who truly need them.
The 2018 Farm Bill follows initial principles issued by the USDA earlier this year that highlight “work as the pathway to self-sufficiency, well-being and economic mobility for individuals and families.” Recent data shows that there are now more than 21 million able-bodied adults dependent on food stamps, three times as many as 2000. These reforms will refocus the system on the truly needy by prioritizing work for able-bodied adults. The bill calls for an expansion of work requirements to most able-bodied parents and able-bodied middle-aged adults and commonsense reforms that build on successful state-led reforms. The bill also seeks to improve program integrity by eliminating loopholes and abuse that rob the truly needy of resources and keep able-bodied adults trapped in welfare.
The Foundation for Government Accountability has provided the following resources, polls, commentary, and videos on the importance of the work-focused reforms included in the 2018 Farm Bill. For more information or to request an interview with our team, please contact us.
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