Paul Ryan Sees $799 Billion War on Poverty Failing Poor

At least 92 U.S. anti-poverty programs that cost a combined $799 billion in the 2012 fiscal year form a “complex web” that often contributes to keeping people poor, according to a report from the House Budget Committee.

Many federal welfare programs are means-tested, so increasing earnings can decrease benefits. That “effectively discourages” some poor families from trying to make more money, according to the report.

“For too long, we have measured compassion by how much we spend instead of how many people get out of poverty,” House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, said in a statement. “We need to take a hard look at what the federal government is doing and ask, ‘Is this working?’”