BUDGET/GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/PAUL RYAN: “House Speaker Paul Ryan, speaking at a GOP policy retreat, called for overhauling government-aid programs to be a legislative priority in 2018, though his plan is likely to face difficulties getting through the Senate and to be delayed by fights over government spending, the nation’s debt limit and immigration.
Mr. Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, focused on tightening workforce requirements for welfare and food-stamp programs in his presentation Wednesday to GOP lawmakers and ‘getting people the skills and opportunities to get into the workforce,’ as a measure of helping people, not as a budget-cutting exercise, according to a person in the room. A follow-up discussion on Thursday echoed some of the speaker’s ideas.
He showed Republicans at the retreat poll data from the conservative advocacy group Foundation for Government Accountability that found 90% of voters support requiring able-bodied adults to work, train or volunteer at least part-time in order to receive government assistance…
The programs being targeted for a revamp make up a tiny portion of the national budget. Before counting last year’s $1.5 trillion in tax cuts, deficits are projected to swell over the coming decade due to the costs of caring for an aging population. Just three components of the budget—Social Security, Medicare and interest payments on the national debt—will account for 70% of all growth in government spending over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.”
-Natalie Andrews, “Paul Ryan Pushes to Keep Overhaul of Safety-Net Programs on GOP Agenda,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 4, 2018 08:00am