The Clintons and the Legacy of Welfare Reform

The ‘90s are coming back to haunt Hillary Clinton. Last week, Black Lives Matter activists interrupted her husband, Bill Clinton, at a Hillary rally. The activists were there to protest the former president’s 1994 crime bill, which contributed to the mass incarceration of minorities. They also confronted him about another law he signed while president: his 1996 welfare reform act. Bill Clinton defended the measure, while Hillary has mostly avoided the subject during this campaign. Twenty years later, however, Bill
Clinton’s overhaul of the welfare system has had a big impact on poor people.

Credits

Guest:

  • Kathryn Edin - Sociology Professor at John Hopkins University, Author of "$2 a Day: The Art of Living on Virtually Nothing in America." - @KathrynEdin