Nebraska joins fight to block welfare recipients from buying tobacco, tattoos, porn and luxury goods
Beer. Liquor. Cigarettes. Porn.
This isn’t just a list of things that can be bad for you. This is a list of things that Americans are buying with cash welfare, thanks to a massive loophole in federal law.
Thankfully, states are finally taking action to prevent this abuse and protect taxpayers with strong guidance from the Trump administration. It’s an overlooked — but important — new front in the ongoing War on Fraud.
The latest state to close this loophole is Nebraska. On Oct. 9, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen directed the state to stop recipients of cash welfare from spending money on items like tobacco, porn, tattoos, psychic and fortune-telling services, luxury watches and much more.
Going forward, if you receive money under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in Nebraska, you cannot spend the money on things the taxpayer shouldn’t be funding in the first place.