Traditionally in America, helping the poor was a matter for private charity or local government. Arriving immigrants depended mainly on predecessors from their homeland to help them start a new life. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several European nations instituted public-welfare programs. But such a movement was slow to take hold in the United States because the rapid pace of industrialization and the ready availability of farmland seemed to confirm the belief that anyone who was willing to work could find a job.
The Great Depression, which began in 1929, shattered that belief. For the firsttime in history, substantial numbers of Americans were out of work because ofthe widespread failures of banks and businesses.
Within days after taking office as president in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed recovery and reform legislation to the U.S. Congress.
There has been concern that the Social Security fund may not have enough money to fulfill its obligations in the 21st century, when the population of elderly Americans is expected to increase dramatically.
In the years since Roosevelt, other American presidents, particularly Lyndon Johnsonin the 1960s, have established assistance programs. These include Medicaid and Medicare; food stamps, certificates that people can use to purchase food; and public housing, which is built at federal expense and made available to persons with low incomes.
In 2018, 38.1 million people in the US lived in Poverty. That means the poverty rate for 2018 was 11.8%. In addition to the benefits discussed above, many families below the poverty line receive welfare payments, sums of money provided by the government each month to those whose income is too low to obtain such necessities as food, clothing, and shelter.
The total cost of all federal assistance programs -- including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and various welfare programs -- accounts for nearly one-half of all money spent by the federal government.
