These complex dynamics can make for a safety net at odds with itself. The food stamp program now lays out a welcome mat, urging the needy to apply. Temporary Assistance, the cash program, often looks like an obstacle course, with time limits, work requirements and state discretion to shoo people away.

Amid rising joblessness, 18 states cut their cash caseloads last year. But every state increased its food stamp rolls, with the benefits (unlike cash welfare) all federally financed.

Despite the constant tug-of-war around the safety net, Robert Reischauer of the Urban Institute said he saw a consensus forming around aid for low-wage workers. “When most of the people receiving a benefit are working families, the entire aura around a program is different,” he said. “Redistribution is less of a hot-button issue.”

NYTimes