Background on Welfare & Poverty

The welfare reform bill, signed by President Clinton in 1996, ended the federal entitlement to welfare, imposed strict work requirements on recipients, and set a five-year lifetime limit for aid.
In 1995, 88% of poor children received food stamps. By 1998 the figure had dropped to 70%.
The welfare load currently stands at about 2 million recipients, which has dropped by about 1/3 since the welfare reform bill was enacted.

As welfare decreases, churches and other faith-based organizations (FBOs) pick up the slack.
Churches are tax-exempt, and donations to churches and other charities are tax-deductible, so federal activity focuses on tax reform to encourage donations, by increasing deductibility on federal and state income taxes.
Other recent Congressional bills focus on removing restrictions on religious organizations' activities, so that churches can bid on government block grants for performing welfare services.
The lessening of restrictions on separation of church and state for this purpose is known as Charitable Choice.

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