Prime Minister Narendra Modi's welfare programs, which include cash payments and free rations, are designed to improve the lives of millions of Indians. His party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), uses these handouts to build voter loyalty, ensuring that beneficiaries are aware of whom to thank for the aid. This strategy is a key part of Modi's appeal, especially among the 95% of Indians who earn too little to file income taxes.
14 GOP-led states, including Texas and Mississippi, have declined federal funding for the Summer EBT program, which provides grocery assistance to low-income families with school-age kids during the summer. Reasons for rejection range from philosophical objections to welfare programs to technical challenges. The impact affects millions of eligible children, and advocacy groups argue that existing summer nutrition programs do not reach most qualified children. Despite the rejections, some states may reconsider joining the program in the future.
President Joe Biden is no longer considering stricter work requirements for welfare programs in debt-ceiling talks with Republicans, following backlash from congressional Democrats. Republicans have proposed expanding work requirements for federal aid programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Medicaid. Biden assigned three White House officials to begin more advanced negotiations on a package to raise the debt ceiling and avert a government default as early as June 1.
A new study supported by the National Institutes of Health found that children in poverty tend to have healthier brains and fewer mental health problems if they live in states with more generous welfare programs. The study suggests that well-funded anti-poverty measures can improve both brain development and mental health in children. Researchers reviewed data for more than 10,000 children ages 9 to 11, using brain scans to determine the size of the hippocampus in each young subject. The study appears in the journal Nature Communications.
