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Woe be to the GOP: Safety net shrinks as economy improves
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020416&docId=l:1675209345&Em=7&start=2[font size="3"]Their will be much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments in GOP salons. [/font] USA Today reports that Government expenditures on "safety net' programs is declining as the economy improves..
The downward trend that started with unemployment insurance in 2010 and welfare benefits in 2011 has reached food stamps, which have seen a two-month dip -- the first time that's happened under President Obama.
Only Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, remains at its peak, due to the slow recovery, the erosion of employer-sponsored insurance and federal rules that prohibit states from slashing eligibility. Still, even Medicaid has started to level off in some states.
The trend could mean a slight dip in poverty, which rose in 2009-10, though Census data for this year won't be available until 2013. The three-year lag between the recession ending and a reduction in government aid, on the other hand, shows how hard the post-recession period has been on low-income families, including people with part-time or low-wage jobs.
(more)
Only Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, remains at its peak, due to the slow recovery, the erosion of employer-sponsored insurance and federal rules that prohibit states from slashing eligibility. Still, even Medicaid has started to level off in some states.
The trend could mean a slight dip in poverty, which rose in 2009-10, though Census data for this year won't be available until 2013. The three-year lag between the recession ending and a reduction in government aid, on the other hand, shows how hard the post-recession period has been on low-income families, including people with part-time or low-wage jobs.
(more)