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This is why it’s important to do your own research.
There is a lot of misinformation going around nowadays, unfortunately. AI hallucinations, bot accounts, and misinterpretations of data or headlines have exacerbated the issue. It’s important to be critical of claims you see on social media and do your own research on credible websites to verify important issues.
A far-right X account posted a video claiming that people can get welfare benefits indefinitely, without working, as long as they have a child under six in the household. The video got over a million views and incited hateful comments towards those using government assistance programs. So is the claim accurate?
The account confused TANF benefits with the SNAP food assitence program.
Source: Unsplash
The video claims that households can receive “welfare” indefinitely if they have a child under 6 years old.
In the video, a woman faces the camera and holds a pregnancy test. She says, “We have six kids. We live on welfare, and we’re trying for baby number seven. I decided I wanted to try for baby number seven because … well, because we’re on welfare … You don’t actually have to work until the baby turns seven.”
She continues, “Our youngest is turning two. So I decided it’s time to try for another baby, so we don’t actually have to get off welfare.”
The right-wing account that shared the video, @WallStreetApes, says, “Americans found a loophole in the welfare system. She says she doesn’t have to work until her kid turns seven, so she keeps having more kids every time one of her kids is about to turn seven.”
@WallStreetApes then claims that they verified that the information is true. However, the information the account sites in their research is related to SNAP benefits, which are different and separate from TANF benefits, which are often referred to as “welfare.”
SNAP benefits help people working part-time or low-wage jobs afford food. According to the USDA website, the program also helps people who are getting welfare payments and those who are elderly, living with disabilities, low-income, or unhoused. These payments are specifically limited to help with groceries, and the site says that most families have to supplement SNAP payments with their own cash.
Most people receiving SNAP must also register for work or be part of a work training program to receive the benefits. Some states have slightly different rules, and @WallStreetApes is right that having a child in the home can help extend SNAP benefits for families. However, SNAP is not an income replacement, and it’s likely not what the account was referring to as “welfare.” For example, you couldn’t use SNAP to pay rent or utilities.