Olivia Dimas
Comp.
Purple

“More than half a trillion US dollars are spent on welfare yet poverty levels remain the same” (Cover, Matt). Welfare abuse in the United States is a huge problem and wastes trillions of taxpayer dollars each year. Those who are applying for welfare should undergo a mandatory drug test. This will prevent those who apply for welfare who’s intent is unhonorable from receiving benefits.
The welfare system is meant to help out struggling families and to help get them back on their feet, but the welfare system has been mistreated and highly abused. The abuse of the welfare system has become a serious problem in today’s society. Around 34% of US individuals are currently on welfare and receive welfare benefits, many of these individuals or families are abusing the welfare system and taking government money when they do not truly need it (Barron, Roanen). Many people in the United States rely too much on welfare for their sole source of income to support their family, as oppose to finding a job and supporting their family with their own money that they earned. Welfare abuse is often passed on through generations and families have no motivation to ever get jobs or an education. “Around 20% of Americans rely on government for some kind of economic assistance” (Capitalism Institute). Qualifications for food stamps are lowering and it is becoming increasingly easier to get benefits even if they are not needed. Therefore, welfare fraud is a growing problem in the United States and must be put to a halt or at the very least diminished.
To help diminish this abuse the United States should require all who apply for any form of welfare (Medicaid, food stamps, etc.) to undergo a mandatory drug test, and be required to take a drug test every month they are still on welfare. This must be done to prevent taxpayers from having to use their money on individuals who abuse the system and don’t truly need financial aid. “Federal welfare spending in fiscal year 2011 totaled $668 billion, spread out over 126 programs, while the poverty rate that remains high at 15.1 percent, roughly where it was in 1965” (Cover, Matt). This means that although taxpayers are paying a great deal of money to help those in “need” the poverty levels in the United States remains the same as it did years ago. Some believe that only a few people use drugs who receive benefits but studys have shown the 15 to 25 percent of welfare recipients abuse drugs (Kirst-Ashman, Karen). These are just individuals have been discovered abusing drugs, the actual percentage is likely much higher. Drug testing before providing benefits has already taken affect in many parts of the United States. “At least 28 states put forth proposals requiring drug testing for public assistance applicants or recipients in 2012. Four states, Utah, Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma passed legislation” (National Conference of State Legislators). If all the United States were to require drug testing government spending on financial aid would indefinitely diminish greatly and government would be able to use these savings to improve other components of the nation. Therefore if drug tests were given before benefits were provided the U.S. would save a great deal of money. To stop the abuses to the welfare system many measures must be taken. The welfare system, although flawed, should remain intact because it actually is a big help to those families or