U.S. Income Security System Needs Leadership, Policy, and Effective Management

Over the past 10 years, Federal income security spending has risen by nearly 250 percent to become the largest part of the budget. The 37 officially labeled income security and related programs in the 1979 Federal budget cost about $215 billion, or about 43 percent of the President's $500 billion budget. Income security tax expenditures, resulting from provisions of the income tax system which allow retention of income that otherwise would be taken through taxes, totaled about $30 billion. State and local programs usually supplement Federal programs or provide assistance to persons not eligible for Federal aid. Along with private sector and charitable activities, these programs account for billions of dollars in additional expenditures. Individually the programs serve worthwhile, necessary goals, and collectively they have done much to prevent or eliminate poverty and lessen tax burdens for millions of Americans. Still there is widespread criticism of the system; the programs are too profuse, too complex, and seem unmanageable. Unmet needs, inequities, inefficiencies, strong work disincentives, and questions about the Nation's continuing ability to meet income security needs and stay within acceptable spending levels remain. Since 1935, the system has expanded substantially in a fragmented, incremental way. Old programs have been liberalized and new and specialized programs have been enacted. For working purposes, GAO defined income security as the whole of government and nongovernment programs and policies aimed at insuring that basic consumption needs are satisfied for all individuals not fully able or not expected to satisfy such needs for themselves through current employment. Four types of programs are included in this definition: public and private insurance, public assistance, public service employment, and market intervention or regulation.