Ron Haskins

Ending the guaranteed entitlement to cash benefits for poor single parents, the 1996 welfare reform law imposed a two- year limit on public assistance, after which welfare recipients are required to work. In the following viewpoint, Ron Haskins asserts that work requirements, often referred to as “welfare-to-work,” have reduced child poverty and promoted responsible work habits among the poor. As the welfare law comes up for congressional reauthorization in 2002, Haskins maintains that Congress should continue its support system of benefits such as subsidized housing and tax credits for low-income working families in order to lift them out of poverty. The author is a senior fellow in the Brookings Institution, an independent public policy organization.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. By what percentage have the welfare rolls declined since their peak in...