Summary

With President Donald Trump contemplating welfare reform as a priority in 2018, many are turning attention to the programs and services meant to help the neediest in society. There are 92 major government programs providing cash, food, housing, medical care and social services to poor and low-income people at a cost of $1.1 trillion per year. Americans support a number of common-sense solutions that can ensure these programs help and do not harm the people they are meant to serve. Almost all Americans support eliminating waste and fraud in the system and requiring able-bodied adults to work or prepare for work to receive benefits. A full eight in 10 think the system should not penalize marriage. And with 89% believing that the welfare system needs changes, there is real appetite for reform in this area among the American people.