Is welfare spending up under President Obama?

Answer 1

Yes and no. Whenever there is a recession, spending on welfare and food stamps rises as the government tries to help its citizens. It is certainly accurate to say that more people have been receiving these benefits during the current recession, and President Obama has indeed been president during much of this time, although to be accurate, the financial crisis began under President Bush, before Mr. Obama took office. That said, it is true that economic recovery has been gradual, which means there has not been as much of a drop in people on welfare and food stamps as President Obama might have hoped.

However, it is a political charge, made by the president's opponents, to blame the people on welfare on Mr. Obama alone. Whoever the president is, since this has happened before in US history, his opponents always will say he should have done more and they will blame him for the rise in spending on welfare and food stamps. But while this makes for good politics, it is generally an unfair charge. Presidents from both parties have been in office during difficult financial times, and historically, when the economy improves, spending on welfare and food stamps decreases, as more people return to the work force and are able to support themselves.