1. The War on Poverty and the Safety Net for Families with Children Discussant Remarks

2. The Paper Concise overview of the major components of the safety net that arose from, expanded under, or have their roots in the War on Poverty Highlight research that examines effects of individual safety net programs on various measures of well-being/behaviors

3. What Else? How well does the safety net function as a whole? Does it protect vulnerable families? Why or why not?

4. What Is A Safety Net? Job Loss Family Change Health Shock Other Challenges

5. The U.S. Safety Net Job Loss Family Change Health Shock Other Challenges Food Stamps/SNAP School Meal Programs WIC AFDC/TANF SSI

6. Tension Surrounding Safety Net Want some basic level of support but: Don’t want to encourage “bad” behaviors or disincentivize good behaviors (work, marriage and child bearing within, eating healthy) Don’t want support to become a “way of life” (don’t want the net to become a hammock) Should the safety net be made more difficult to access? Should the safety net also function as a “hand up?”

7. The U.S. Safety Net Job Loss Family Change Health Shock Other Challenges Food Stamps/SNAP School Meal Programs WIC AFDC/TANF- TIME LIMITS, WORK REQUIREMENTS SSI EITC Child care

8. Protecting Vulnerable Families SNAP caseloads responded to most recent recession TANF has not

9. Protecting Vulnerable Families Far fewer eligible families using TANF Growing number of “disconnected” Increase in number of families living in deep poverty

10. Racialization of Safety Net Issue mentioned – but perhaps more? “Welfare mother”

11. Standardization then Devolution Court Cases (King v. Smith; Shapiro v. Thompson; Goldberg v. Kelly) Movement away from discretion toward standardization PRWORA => devolution