Though President Trump spoke in his inaugural address about replacing welfare with work, his efforts in pursuing that goal have been mixed at best. The administration has relied far more on the strength of the job-producing economy to increase employment and reduce poverty than on any changes to benefit programs themselves. But the economy can only do so much — especially after an extended period of benefits-first policy, in which increased enrollment was the only goal.
This week, the Trump team tried to restart their efforts with an executive order directing federal benefit programs to make it a priority to help non-working recipients become employed. It remains to be seen whether this will do the trick. The question is whether the resulting reforms will address the underlying problem of welfare enrollment leading to too little work and too much poverty.
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