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Story summary
- The holiday season offers hope for many American families, but poverty can make that hope fleeting.
- U.S. social welfare rules can discourage work and marriage, trapping families in dependency.
- In 2024, more than 12 percent of Americans relied on federal assistance for groceries.
- The authors call for reform to empower states to innovate, drawing on 1990s welfare reforms to foster independence and restore hope.
