This evening, President Trump signed an executive order that calls for federal agencies to review how to promote work and marriage within welfare programs. Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Robert Rector offered the following statement:

 

“The Trump administration’s executive order to promote work and marriage within the welfare system is a positive first step for broader reform. The welfare system today aggressively penalizes marriage among low-income parents and discourages empowerment among the poor by not requiring able-bodied adults to work.

 

"Congress and the Administration should act to achieve the President’s goals, in order to ensure the welfare system helps—not hurts—the people it serves. The administration can take two steps without legislative action. One is insisting that federal grants pay for outcomes, not services, which is currently not done. Additionally, the administration can provide sound information about poverty and inequality by accurately counting for the first time the massive government benefits provided to low-income populations.”