October 03, 2010
The Post had a good article on how TANF, the main federal welfare program, has not expanded significantly in the wake of the downturn, even as the need has increased enormously. At one point the article tells readers that:
“Despite urging from the Obama administration and welfare directors around the country, lawmakers decided not to extend the emergency welfare money, which gave states more than $4 million, in part to subsidize wages to help people go to work.”
Actually, the law would have provided more than $4 billion, not $4 million. However, it would have been helpful to express these sums relative to the size of the federal budget so that readers would know how large they are. The $4 million figure would be equal to 0.00011 percent of federal spending. The $4 billion number is equal to 0.11 percent of federal spending.
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