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Welfare 'As We Know It' Ended In 1996. Did It Help Or Hurt?

Twenty years ago this week, President Clinton signed legislation to end "welfare as we know it." The new program set limits on benefits and gave states broad discretion on how to spend the funds. Now, far few people get welfare, even though poverty rates are higher. In most states, dollars allocated for welfare benefits have declined.

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Pam Fessler is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where she covers poverty, philanthropy, and voting issues.
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