Stockman: Welfare in the U.S. is running rampant
Former Reagan Budget Director David Stockman on the White House budget proposal and why welfare can’t be managed from Washington.
“Trumped” author David Stockman on Monday explained why President Trump’s budget plan will be “dead before arrival.” Washington should properly manage welfare in the U.S.
In order to balance President Trump’s budget plan, the administration plans on making cuts to programs such Medicaid, SNAP [food stamps], SSDI [Disability Insurance] and other entitlement programs.
“Unfortunately this budget will be dead before arrival because all of these cuts I left in the vault at OMB [Office of Management and Budget] 36 years ago, they were rejected then… I would make the cuts myself philosophically, but there are no votes for them,” he said on Cavuto Coast to Coast.
The former Reagan Budget Director explained why the federal government shouldn’t be in control of welfare programs.
“It’s ‘welfarism’ run rampant and it’s never going to be solved from Washington because Washington is the swamp filled with lobbies of every kind and they always win. I say put it in a giant block grant, send it back to the states…It’s the only way we are going to avoid national bankruptcy, is to bring the states back into a competitive ballgame,” he said.
Stockman discussed how the federal government can transfer the control of welfare programs to the states.
“I say put $600 billion worth of welfare or means tested programs, Medicaid, food stamps, cash assistance, SSI and so forth in one big block grant, send it back to the states… The [states] have to balance it by their constitution. It’s one block grant and we cut it by 5 percent a year for the next 20 years,” he said.