The propaganda that welfare mothers are popping out babies to get additional welfare money just doesn't seem to hold water.
But no need to let pesky facts get in the way of a good story.
What facts? "just doesn't seem to" is not a fact.
I can't imagine there have been very many, but I'm sure there are some, who went, "Hey, if I have another kid I'll get more welfare!" But by the same token, few went, "I can't afford another baby!" because they knew they could.
Mothers having additional children and automatically getting their welfare increased isn't as bad as it used to be, but it's still pretty bad. It started in 1996 with the Republicans' Contract With American which, among many things, sought to deny additional welfare benefits to someone if they were already receiving benefits 10 months prior to an additional birth. Some states passed what is known as the "Family Cap" that eliminated the additional money. 23 states have Family Caps, 27 do not.
However, just as the new law that capped benefits went into effect, additional welfare programs (an additional food stamps program, increased housing assistance, medical etc.) were created that rendered the Family Cap moot. All states with Family Caps could ignore the caps, and most do. But basically, when welfare payments are made, and capped, the actual "welfare" payments come out of one zippered compartment in the purse, and the additional payments come from different zippered compartments, but those aren't welfare payments, they're called something else, so people can claim welfare didn't rise with additional children, even though the assistance did.
What happens is, in addition to the $325 a month you get per child, you get additional food stamps, an increase in housing assistance, and other benefits, which can total out to more than $700 per child per month (but averages out to about $500), on top of what you are already receiving. With much of it being in cash or cash equivalents.
