How much does welfare pay an hour?

budget.senate.gov...




Based on data from the Congressional Research Service, cumulative spending on means-tested federal welfare programs, if converted into cash, would equal $167.65 per day per household living below the poverty level. By comparison, the median household income in 2011 of $50,054 equals $137.13 per day. Additionally, spending on federal welfare benefits, if converted into cash payments, equals enough to provide $30.60 per hour, 40 hours per week, to each household living below poverty. The median household hourly wage is $25.03. After accounting for federal taxes, the median hourly wage drops to between $21.50 and $23.45, depending on a household’s deductions and filing status. State and local taxes further reduce the median household’s hourly earnings. By contrast, welfare benefits are not taxed.

The universe of means-tested welfare spending refers to programs that provide low-income assistance in the form of direct or indirect financial support—such as food stamps, free housing, child care, etc.—and which the recipient does not pay into (in contrast to Medicare or Social Security). For fiscal year 2011, CRS identified roughly 80 overlapping federal means-tested welfare programs that together represented the single largest budget item in 2011—more than the nation spends on Social Security, Medicare, or national defense. The total amount spent on these federal programs, when taken together with approximately $280 billion in state contributions, amounted to roughly $1 trillion. Nearly 95 percent of these costs come from four categories of spending: medical assistance, cash assistance, food assistance, and social / housing assistance. Under the President’s FY13 budget proposal, means-tested spending would increase an additional 30 percent over the next four years.

The diffuse and overlapping nature of federal welfare spending has led to some confusion regarding the scope and nature of benefits. For instance, Newark Mayor Cory Booker has recently received a great deal of attention for adopting the “food stamp challenge” in which he spends only $30 a week on food (the average individual benefit). The situation Booker presents, however, is not accurate: a low-income individual on food stamps may qualify for $25,000 in various forms of welfare support from the federal government on top of his or her existing income and resources—including access to 15 different food assistance programs. Further, even if one unrealistically assumes that no other welfare benefits are available, the size of the food stamp benefit increases as one’s income decreases, as the benefit is designed as a supplement to existing resources; it is explicitly not intended to be the sole source of funds for purchasing food.


Gs

Sounds like bs to me, the average welfare around here = $30 a day.... How's this 100+ fit in? Weird, I am from Australia tho too.

I'm thinking a lot of GOV is pocketing the cash and telling lies again. Sigh corruption ftw.

the tilte should read "how much do WE pay an hour for welfare" you have to have a job to get paid.

It should be noted that this was prepared, as the graph on the link says, by Jeff Sessions office - not by the CBO itself.

I don't have time at the moment to do any further digging. But as a person who has to deal with people who are on Government assistance programs quite often - this is absolute BS. Even the folks on full disability with every benefit the law can get them don't come anywhere near that level of income. The highest I know of is about 1,800 per month with medical - but no food or housing allotment.

IMO this is propaganda.

That is such a crock!
I had to be on assistance for a year when my kids were little.
$400.00 Month in food stamps.
$7000.00 a year in cash assistance.

Do the damn math.

Originally posted by chiefsmom
That is such a crock!
I had to be on assistance for a year when my kids were little.
$400.00 Month in food stamps.
$7000.00 a year in cash assistance.

Do the damn math.

edit on 15-3-2013 by chiefsmom because: sp

I know, right?? People are quick to blame welfare for the financial woes of this country, but fail to mention the true problems. What about corporate welfare that came under the guise of ''bailouts'', to the tune of many billions of taxoayer dollars? How about that? And what about the $58 billion in foreign aid welfare at taxpayers' expense? But yeah, right, let's blame poor people, it's all their fault, right?

reply to post by Hefficide


Bet ya $10 bucks a Koch brother is behind it, hehe.

2nd line.