Government food aid should foster dignity, not dependence—linking assistance to work can restore purpose and break the cycle of relief-driven poverty.

As a new administration reins in government overreach, a crisis of dependency is sure to come to light. With a generation withdrawing from an over-reliance on federal relief, a unique opportunity will arise to reclaim self-governance and revive private charity. The question remains: “Will we seize this moment?” James Whitford calls us to action.

Does government aid weaken community bonds of brotherhood? President Grover Cleveland believed it did. In 1887, he vetoed national aid to preserve “kindly sentiment and conduct” among Americans. Today, Missouri’s Medicaid expansion and Senate Bill 82 risk dismissing his wisdom by crowding out faith-based charities that foster true relationships and hope. James Whitford shares.

As of September 1, if you were homeless, work requirements established in the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act no longer apply to you. They neither apply if you’re a veteran or have aged out of the foster care system and are under 24.

The USICH sets lofty goals for reducing homelessness by doubling down on the failed Housing First program—yet the USICH themselves have admitted that though “funding for homelessness assistance has increased every year,” the unsheltered population has grown by a staggering 20.5% nationally.