Jeb Bush unveiled an aggressive plan on Friday to reform welfare policy, one that proposes to end the federal government’s role in many welfare programs and eliminate federal food stamps.
Under the Republican presidential candidate’s plan, states would pick up responsibility for managing antipoverty programs, in a reform similar to the 1996 overhaul of the federal government’s cash welfare program.
“The current one-size-fits-all approach to welfare policy gives Washington, D.C., too much power and fails to meet the needs of impoverished families,” the former Florida governor wrote in a statement on his site, explaining that his proposal “eliminates these bloated, outdated welfare programs and gives control back to the states.”
Bush specifically mentions ending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as food stamps. The program has grown significantly since the recession, serving 46 million people and costing the government $74 billion in 2015.
That and other programs, such as housing assistance, would be eliminated under Bush’s plan, in favor of block grants to states.
State governors would be able to determine how best to use the funds, except that programs would come with work requirements and time limits for able-bodied adults.
Bush’s plan shares many similarities with the antipoverty plan recommended by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., during his tenure as House Budget Committee chairman, including the feature of turning some programs into block-grants for states.
Bush’s plan addresses one key liberal criticism of block-grant plans, namely that they could be inadequate during recessions. Unlike the federal government, state governments must balance their budgets during economic downturns, which left-of-center budget analysts have noted could cause a problem if welfare programs are left to states. State governments could be forced to cut programs at the same time that joblessness increased need for those services.
To address that problem, Bush envisions additional federal funding during recessions. Furthermore, the plan stipulates that state governments could not use the grants for purposes other than reducing poverty, or to save money on existing antipoverty programs. And, to “ensure a robust safety net,” state governments would be permitted to exempt a minority of beneficiaries from work requirements.
Part of Bush’s antipoverty plan is contained within his tax plan. He would expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable credit that subsidizes work for poor families. He would also cut down on improper payments of the credit, a particular concern for conservative lawmakers.
The GOP hopeful also recommended strengthening marriage as a tool for reducing poverty. Marriage rates would be among the criteria states would be judged on. His plan would seek to reduce marriage penalties created by the tax code and in programs. Lastly, he would have the government campaign for marriage in the way it currently campaigns against smoking. For couples who are not married, Bush emphasized stepped-up enforcement in collecting child-support payments from absent parents.
Bush is one of several GOP presidential candidates who are scheduled to appear at an opportunity summit Saturday with House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., hosted in South Carolina by the Jack Kemp Foundations. Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Marco Rubio are also set to attend.
The idea of shifting funding for antipoverty programs from the federal government to states is one with growing popularity among Republicans. The House Republican budget authored by Budget Committee chairman Tom Price, R-Ga., last year also contemplated moving food stamp funding to state governments. As a senator, Rubio has proposed “flex funds” for granting antipoverty funding to states similar to what Bush recommends.
