Welfare reform has been a high priority for Republicans and conservatives for many years, and now that President Donald Trump is in the White House, the possibility of such reform is finally feasible.
In what was quite possibly the opening salvo on welfare leeches, Trump was ready to sign a bill passed by Congress that would allow states to perform drug tests on those applying for unemployment benefits, WITIreported.
Under President Barack Obama, states weren’t allowed to test applicants for drugs unless they were applying for a job that already had mandatory drug testing. However, there’s a new sheriff in town — and he’s backed by a Republican-controlled Congress that, while far from perfect, is at least more likely to pass common-sense legislation like this than any legislative body under the control of people like former House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Now states will have the freedom to drug-test individuals before they start shelling out taxpayer money to people. This will help ensure that people receiving welfare benefits won’t use taxpayer money to buy drugs.
It was not immediately clear when Trump would sign the bill into law, but the White House has indicated that Trump will indeed sign it.
Republicans have cheered this bill as a victory for states’ rights, while Democrats have resorted to their old talking point of claiming that Republicans are targeting the poor.
This deregulation was possible only through the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to undo recent legislation with a simple majority — though the act generally is useful only at the beginning of a new administration that disagrees with the previous one.
Welfare and other government assistance programs account for a sizable chunk of the federal budget. Hopefully Trump will continue to take actions that will get people off of welfare and get them real jobs in which they can contribute to society instead of primarily receiving from it.
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