Limiting Welfare: Two Years and Out

Last week the Clinton Administration permitted Wisconsin to impose a two-year limit for welfare recipients, and a two-year limit is often mentioned as part of President Clinton's own plans to reform welfare. The majority of first-time welfare recipients spend less than two years in the program, but 45% of first- time recipients eventually go back on welfare. In the chart, the current population of families on welfare is broken down according to the total number of years they are likely to receive welfare payments, whether those years are consecutive or not.

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CREDIT: [TMFONT 1 d #666666 d {Source: Department of Health and Human Services}]CAPTION: NO CAPTION