Trapped in America's Safety Net

Between the ages of twenty-five and sixty-five, two-thirds of Americans will live in a household that receives food stamps, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or other cash welfare. 2 In 2012, one in seven Americans received food stamps, including one in four children. Medicaid funds 40 percent of all births in the United States. 3 Social assistance programs aren’t marginal—they’re mainstream.