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Home – Political News – 30 Years Later, Welfare Reform’s Biggest Legacy May Be Stronger Families, Architect Says

30 Years Later, Welfare Reform’s Biggest Legacy May Be Stronger Families, Architect Says

The welfare reform bill signed 30 years ago may have made its greatest impact on marriage and family structure, said the reform’s architect.

“It was one of the greatest successes of modern conservatism on domestic policy,” Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Signal.

“We anticipated after the success, Republicans would reform Medicaid and food stamps,” Rector continued. “Instead, they just stopped at welfare reform.”

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, caused a steep reduction in welfare dependence; increased employment; and a huge drop in child poverty among single parents, Rector noted.

Impact on Marriage and Children

In 1963, before President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” illegitimacy was at 7%; in the 1990s, pregnancies outside of marriage reached 30%. “Even the Washington Post was panicking about this,” Rector said.

“Welfare had become a lifestyle choice,” Rector said.

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