The Pros And Cons Of The Welfare System

Welfare is a government program which provides financial aid to people who cannot support themselves. The welfare programs are funded by taxpayers; the goal of welfare is to promote the pursuance of work, education, or a better standard of living.The welfare system is now run solely by the state, and each state also has its own requirements which can cause some overlap and confusion. The federal government provides assistance through TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). This grant requires that all recipients of welfare aid must find work within two years of receiving aid (US welfare system). Should welfare recipients be drug tested? According to the National Conference of State Legislators (2016) thirteen states have passed legislation

“If you have enough money to buy drugs, then you don’t need the public assistance,” Colorado state Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg told the Associated Press(2016). If legislators can come up with a drug-testing regimen that passes legal muster -- which has proven difficult for more than one state -- they may see a net savings. Sponsors of these bills insist that while cost savings are nice, these measures are really about changing behaviors (Greenblatt, 2012). “Benefit payments that have been wasted on drug abusers will be available for the truly needy,” says Oklahoma state Rep. Guy Liebmann (2016), “and addicts will be incentivized to get treatment.” If a recipient is abusing drugs their chances of finding a job are slim with how many employers drug

Recipients will be prepared for entering the workforce, and those in need of assistance will have an incentive to stay away from drug abuse. If so many employers drug test, then why shouldn 't welfare drug test? A portion of the money people earn goes to food for them and their family, and welfare assists families to put food on the table. It may be difficult to come up with a drug testing policy that passes legal standard but it is hard to pass any new law, there is always a split debate. In conclusion welfare drug testing could be an incentive for drug abusers to quit, and help people enter the workforce.Welfare recipients should be held to the same standard as everyone else in the work