Perhaps no law in the past generation has drawn more praise than
the drive to “end welfare as we know it,” which joined the
late-’90s economic boom to send caseloads plunging, employment
rates rising and officials of both parties hailing the virtues of
tough love. But the distress of the last four years has added a
cautionary postscript: much as overlooked critics of the
restrictions once warned, a program that built its reputation
when times were good offered little help when jobs disappeared.
Despite the worst economy in decades, the cash welfare rolls have
barely budged.