Two Decades After the âEnd of Welfare,â Democrats Are Changing Direction
The pandemic and a set of other economic and social forces changed the calculation for Democrats when it comes to government aid. The question now is how long the moment will last.
A tent encampment in Phoenix last week. Rising inequality and stagnant incomes over much of the past two decades left a growing share of working Americans concerned about making ends meet.Credit.Juan Arredondo for The New York Times
Published March 13, 2021Updated March 16, 2021
WASHINGTON â A quarter-century ago, a Democratic president celebrated âthe end of welfare as we know it,â challenging the poor to exercise âindependenceâ and espousing balanced budgets and smaller government.
Shockingly Dysfunctional : Mass Unemployment System Leaves People Struggling Amid Pandemic Job Losses
A sign announces the closure of an unemployment walk-in center in Boston due to the coronavirus pandemic on May 9, 2020.
Michael Dwyer/AP
Unemployment Insurance Delays
Michael Smith, 35, thought things were bad in March when the pandemic hit. He lost his job as a bartender, and his dream of buying a house for his young family disappeared. Smith, who lives in Revere, started collecting unemployment and spending down the money he and his wife had put away for the house.
But when December arrived, Smith said, he realized things could get a lot worse. After finding a few months of short-term work, Smith’s hours were slashed, and he needed to file unemployment claims again. Yet, this time, he was not hearing anything back from Massachusetts’ Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
Shockingly Dysfunctional : Mass Unemployment System Leaves People Struggling Amid Pandemic Job Losses
A sign announces the closure of an unemployment walk-in center in Boston due to the coronavirus pandemic on May 9, 2020.
Michael Dwyer/AP
Unemployment Insurance Delays
Michael Smith, 35, thought things were bad in March when the pandemic hit. He lost his job as a bartender, and his dream of buying a house for his young family disappeared. Smith, who lives in Revere, started collecting unemployment and spending down the money he and his wife had put away for the house.
But when December arrived, Smith said, he realized things could get a lot worse. After finding a few months of short-term work, Smith’s hours were slashed, and he needed to file unemployment claims again. Yet, this time, he was not hearing anything back from Massachusetts’ Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
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