Topic: Welfare Policy

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal

The Internal Revenue Service is under the microscope now, as revelations have emerged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
Inauguration 2013: 10 highlights from previous second-term addresses

Barack Obama will be the 17th American president to deliver two inaugural addresses. Here are 10 highlights from such speeches by previous two-term presidents, including the shortest one ever.
How much do you know about US entitlement programs? Take our quiz.

The push to reform entitlement programs is at the heart of debates about the future of the US budget. They include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare).
Briefing
Obama vs. Romney 101: 6 ways they differ on health-care reform

Former Gov. Mitt Romney has taken a libertarian turn since championing health-care reforms in Massachusetts, including an individual mandate to purchase insurance, which became the model for President Obama's signature law. Here’s a list of areas where the candidates differ.
The Paul Ryan budget: your guide to what's in it

Rep. Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate, is best known for drawing up a series of spending-and-tax plans meant to challenge the Obama administration's policies from the right. But it's been some time since his latest budget, which Mr. Ryan terms a "path to prosperity," was released. Here's a primer on what's in it.

All Content

IRS report shows why tea party scandal was almost inevitable (+video)

When all the shouting about the IRS targeting of tea party groups dies down, Congress or the IRS will realize that the relevant tax law is devilishly hard to enforce fairly.
Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal

The Internal Revenue Service is under the microscope now, as revelations have emerged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
Tax VOX IRS was wrong to target Tea Party. What about other political groups?

The IRS shouldn't have targeted the Tea Party, Gleckman writes. But the unsavory IRS actions should also shine a light on the law that gives tax-exempt status to political groups of all ideological stripes – not just the Tea Party.
IRS apologizes for targeting tea party. Should heads roll? (+video)

IRS apologizes that its bureaucrats trolled for groups with names that included 'patriot' and 'tea party' before last year’s election in order to take a closer look at their tax status. Tea party groups want workers fired.
Lottery winners still getting welfare? In Michigan, yes.

Lottery winners got welfare benefits in more than 3,500 cases last year, a new Michigan report finds. That's 14 percent of state lottery winners on welfare, and the state aims to crack down.
Most Venezuelans think Hugo Chavez will recover, poll finds

Hugo Chavez has been battling cancer for two years, but most Venezuelans him to recover and return to active rule, a poll showed on Tuesday.
Inauguration 2013: 10 highlights from previous second-term addresses

Barack Obama will be the 17th American president to deliver two inaugural addresses. Here are 10 highlights from such speeches by previous two-term presidents, including the shortest one ever.
Stocks slip ahead of earnings season

Stocks fell on Wall Street Tuesday in anticipation of the beginning of corporate earnings season. The European debt crisis continued to cast a pall over the stock market.
Britain debates: What should European welfare look like?

The debate in Parliament, which today passed a measure to temporarily cap most welfare benefits, is part of a larger debate in Europe over how to handle welfare amid the debt crisis.
Eurozone unemployment reached record high in November

Eurozone unemployment hit 11.8 percent in November, the highest since the euro currency was founded in 1999. Unemployment in the 17 eurozone countries was up from 10.6 percent a year earlier.
The Monitor's View: Taking choice out of personal health

As more governments move to restrict personal choices as a way to cut costs, especially in health care, they can easily impinge on both liberty and alternative ideas about health.
How much do you know about US entitlement programs? Take our quiz.

The push to reform entitlement programs is at the heart of debates about the future of the US budget. They include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare).
Ohio pushes welfare recipients to find work and exit the system

Ohio is one of three states still scrambling to meet the requirements of a federal law that requires states to get at least half of adults currently on welfare into work – or face $135 million in penalties.
Decoder Wire Why is Mitt Romney saying nice things about Bill Clinton? (+video)

In a well received speech on foreign aid at the Clinton Global Initiative Tuesday, Mitt Romney was effusive in his praise of Bill Clinton. There could be several reasons for that.
Briefing
Obama vs. Romney 101: 6 ways they differ on health-care reform

Former Gov. Mitt Romney has taken a libertarian turn since championing health-care reforms in Massachusetts, including an individual mandate to purchase insurance, which became the model for President Obama's signature law. Here’s a list of areas where the candidates differ.
Paul Ryan's factual shortcuts in convention speech

A look at claims made in political campaigns and how they adhere to the facts.
Rick Santorum attacks Obama over welfare reform waiver. Was that fair?

Rick Santorum attacked President Obama in his speech for the GOP convention, repeating a common criticism that Obama has watered down welfare reform. Fact-checkers say the claim is not true, but it fit well into Tuesday's 'We Built It' theme.
Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin lifts GOP hopes for US Senate takeover

Before he won Wisconsin's Senate primary Tuesday, Tommy Thompson led Democrat Tammy Baldwin in a hypothetical matchup by 5 points, a poll showed. This marks the former governor's reentry into politics.
'Welfare-voter' spat in Massachusetts part of larger political duel

Republican Sen. Scott Brown says Massachusetts' decision to try to expand voter registration among welfare recipients is a blatant political maneuver. But it is part of a national trend.
The Paul Ryan budget: your guide to what's in it

Rep. Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate, is best known for drawing up a series of spending-and-tax plans meant to challenge the Obama administration's policies from the right. But it's been some time since his latest budget, which Mr. Ryan terms a "path to prosperity," was released. Here's a primer on what's in it.
Scott Brown to Elizabeth Warren: Pony up for state's 'welfare voter' drive

Sen. Scott Brown (R) said Friday that rival Elizabeth Warren should reimburse Massachusetts for the cost of mailing voter-registration forms to welfare recipients – a move he says was calculated to help her campaign.
'Welfare voters' are latest battleground in Brown-Warren Senate race

GOP Sen. Scott Brown charges that a new drive to register low-income voters in Massachusetts is a bid to boost support for Democrat Elizabeth Warren, pushed by a left-leaning group with ties to the challenger.
Decoder Wire Romney repeats charge Obama is 'gutting' welfare reform. Is that a distortion? (+video)

At issue is whether the Obama administration's new waivers, allowing states to experiment with alternative work requirements, will undermine the historic welfare reform program. Independent fact checkers say, no.
Tax VOX Should charities still be tax-exempt?

Tax-exempt organizations won’t be immune from the debate over tax reform, and their special treatment may be jeopardized as Congress looks for ways to broaden the tax base. The growing commercial activity of many charities should make us rethink their status.
Tax VOX How the government hinders the American Dream of upward mobility

With a budget that encourages consumption rather than savings, the gap between the American Dream and reality will only widen, some at the Tax Policy Center fear. One solution: Rethink those tax subsidies that too often hinder mobility in the name of enhancing it.