President Donald Trump is all about self-sufficiency, which isn’t always good for governing a country. We can see that by his proposed budget. Many safety net programs that help poor people are being cut or eliminated. The Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said:
“We are no longer going to measure compassion by the number of programs or the number of people on those programs. We are going to measure compassion and success by the number of people we get off of those programs to get back in charge of their own lives.”
What kind of heartless crap is that?! Some people need these programs to survive. Basically, he thinks that safety net programs’ success should be evaluated based on how many people can get off the programs and become self-sufficient. Many researchers have found that this is just not a good way to look at it.
How Do You Evaluate Government Programs?
Government programs shouldn’t be evaluated based on how many people can get off of them. It depends on what the program is for. Many of these programs are for the disabled or the elderly who may not be able to get off of them. Many of these programs are for people who are considered “working poor.” These are people who already have jobs, but are still unable to make ends meet.
Some of the programs on the chopping block include the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as “food stamps.”
LIHEAP helps people pay their utility bills and helps them meet their basic energy needs. It helps people stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Research shows that it works well.
SNAP is meant to reduce hunger, and it has been shown to work well at achieving that goal. Research shows that it reduces hunger by up to 30 percent.
Here is a Young Turks video about Mick Mulvaney defending his budget cuts:
Featured image via Twitter.
