75% of Working Poor on Welfare

A report released Monday reveals that nearly three-quarters of people who receive public assistance are members of a family helmed by a worker, according to the Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California. The study found that state and federal governments spend more than $150 billion a year on four antipoverty programs used by working families, including Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps, and the earned-income tax credit, which is directed at working families. Researchers conclude that taxpayers are not only providing support to the poor, but essentially a subsidy for employers of low-wage workers like McDonald’s and Wal-Mart.