As part of efforts to fight the coronavirus, the Trump and Biden administrations expanded eligibility for welfare and state-run Medicaid in 2020 and 2021.
According to the federal government, just under 42 million Americans (12.3%) participated in the food welfare program SNAP in 2024.
Jennifer Bash, editor of Reasonable Arguments, analyzed the numbers surrounding welfare programs and SNAP funding during the government shutdown.
Bash’s research found that 72.5 million Americans, or 22% of the country, receive some form of government aid each month. SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, TANF cash assistance, housing vouchers, everything.
“Nationwide, 65% of recipients are children, seniors, and people with disabilities who truly need help. The remaining 35%, or approximately 25 million able-bodied adults, are able to work but cannot. “Welcome to the welfare state, with Medicaid expansion adding 20 million more people of working age who earn too little for the private system,” Bash said.
While some may want to use partisan labels on who gets government aid, Basch said the argument doesn’t sell.
She said, before anyone brings this into a red vs. blue debate, red states have an average aid rate of 40% and blue states 33%. “The economy looks good on paper with 2.5% GDP growth and 4.1% unemployment, but 60% of SNAP users are already working.
Polls show that more than 65% of voters support work requirements for welfare and Medicaid recipients.
David Williams of the Taxpayer Protection Alliance says billions of dollars could be saved each year if the federal government actually cracked down on fraud and cracked down on who is and isn’t eligible for federal aid.
“This wasn’t an order to fight tooth and nail. It was a giant flashing sign that said, ‘Get to work,'” Bash said of the issue of SNAP funding during the government shutdown.
