America's ever expanding welfare empire

Abstract

Means-tested welfare programs constitute a major part of America’s current budget, making up slightly over half of federal spending and firmly placing the United States’ welfare budget on par with its national defense budget. Despite this vast sum costing trillions of dollars, welfare programs have failed to further reduce poverty rates beyond the downturn observed after the Great Depression until the initiation of the War on Poverty; the poverty rate has stagnated since. – AI-generated abstract.