Representative Rosa DeLauro, D-CT3, has a new book, The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable. It’s a defense of the nation’s social safety network and the government’s role in protecting people in need.
DeLauro says the idea of the government helping those in need goes back to the Civil War and efforts to get benefits for veterans. She says for many decades in the 20th century, Republicans and Democrats in Congress worked together to develop programs that built America’s safety net.
“Government should be working on behalf of people. So the power of the social safety net is not a collection of programs, it is in essence a reflection of what our values are.”
DeLauro says these values have changed under more conservative leadership.
“You have the Tea Party and now you got Donald Trump and Paul Ryan. So you’ve got an assault today on the social safety network that you’ve never seen before.”
President Trump’s Budget Director Mick Mulvaney says the proposed 2018 budget is based on “compassion.” He says getting rid of the safety net would help people who rely on federal aid to “take charge of their own lives.”
