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Entitlement Reform

July 27, 2023

Safety Net or Hammock? The Increasing Number of SNAP Recipients (Audio: Interview)

Merrill Matthews joins Newsradio 740 KTRH (Houston) to address the recent Pew Research study that reports nearly 42 million (about 12.5% of the U.S. population) now receive SNAP benefits.

April 27, 2023

Why Democrats Should Support a Work Requirement for Welfare (Audio: Podcast)

House Republicans included a work requirement for welfare benefits (“workfare”) in their legislation agreeing to raise the debt ceiling. IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews discusses the history of workfare, and discusses with IPI President Tom Giovanetti why workfare contributes not only to fiscal prudence but also to human flourishing.

February 21, 2023

Merrill Matthews on Expanding the Workforce, Social Security and Engery Subsidies (Audio: Interview)

IPI Resident Scholar Merrill Matthews joins Pratt on Texas in this Podcast Extra. The discussion includes many of the topics covered in Dr. Matthew's recent articles including: What You Need to Know About Government's Clean Energy Subsidies, A Quick and Easy Way to Grow the Workforce and The Worker-Shortage Mystery Solved--Mostly.

February 9, 2023

Should Social Security and Medicare be 'Off the Table'? (Audio: Podcast)

The most dramatic moment of Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union Address was when he accused Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare, to which Republicans vociferously objected. When President Biden reacted by saying “Okay, I guess we all agree that Social Security and Medicare are off the books,” almost the entire chamber rose to its feet and cheered, but the hearts of policy experts around the country sank. That’s because, if anything, the single most important domestic policy issue should be making the necessary changes to our entitlement programs that protect current recipients while giving future recipients realistic expectations and time to prepare. Congress may be afraid to talk about entitlement reform, but IPI is not. With IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews and President Tom Giovanetti.

January 5, 2023

Joe Biden, Welfare King

At the same time the Biden administration is bragging about its job creation numbers, President Biden has also dramatically increased the number of Americans on federal government assistance and would extend government welfare programs even more if he could. But increasing the number of Americans dependent on federal assistance is terrible fiscal, budgetary and moral policy. With IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews and IPI President Tom Giovanetti.

July 15, 2022

Making Welfare Reform Great Again (Audio: Interview)

Institute for Policy Innovation’s Dr. Merrill Matthews joins Pratt on Texas to discuss his recent op/ed in The Hill titled: Rick Scott Wants to Make Welfare Reform Great Again.

June 10, 2022

Social Security's Finances Aren't Very Secure (Audio: Podcast)

The Social Security Trust Fund trustees are out with their latest annual assessment of the program's financial status, which remains gloomy. IPI's Dr. Merrill Matthews and Mark Litow, a former principal of  the actuarial firm Milliman, Inc., discuss why the Social Security program faces such financial challenges and what to do about them.

October 7, 2021

IPI Policy Basics: What's Wrong with Social Security, and How Do We Fix It? (Audio: Podcast)

IPI President Tom Giovanetti describes Social Security’s structural, demographic and financial problems, and explains that there are solutions and it’s not rocket science, if only our elected officials would pay attention.

We focus particularly on Personal Retirement Accounts. Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews describes how three counties in Texas have demonstrated for 40 years that Personal Retirements Accounts can safely outperform Social Security’s miserable rates of return.

February 25, 2021

President Biden Wants to Expand Medicare Because Obamacare has FAILED (Audio: Podcast)

IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explains that, if the reality of Obamacare was everything we were told it would be, there would be no need for President Biden to advocate expanding Medicare eligibility. And how Biden’s plan will hasten the bankruptcy of Medicare and the impending entitlements crisis. With occasional cackling and contributions by IPI President Tom Giovanetti.

January 28, 2021

President Biden's Worst Actions So Far (Audio: Podcast)

IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explains some of President Joe Biden’s worst executive orders so far, which is saying something, since he has only been in office for two weeks. Joined by IPI President Tom Giovanetti.

Total Records: 65