2016 presidential candidates on federal assistance programs

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2016 Presidential Election Date: November 8, 2016

Candidates Winner: Donald Trump (R) Hillary Clinton (D) • Jill Stein (G) • Gary Johnson (L) • Vice presidential candidates

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For information about Social Security under the Trump administration, click here.

The overview of the issue below was current as of the 2016 election.
Social Security is said to touch the lives of more Americans than any other federal program. At the end of 2014, 59 million individuals were receiving benefits and 166 million were paying into the system by way of payroll taxes. The ratio of workers to beneficiaries has declined over time and reduced the amount of excess funds earning interest. This ratio is not predicted to increase in the near term, particularly as more baby boomers retire. Under the present system, today's Social Security taxes pay the benefits of today's retirees. For these and other reasons, the system is unsustainable over the long term. The 2016 presidential candidates offered policy solutions and plans that could benefit workers and future retirees and address the system's financial outlook should the next president take action.

See what the 2016 candidates and their respective party platforms said about Social Security and other federal assistance programs below.

Interested in reading more about the 2016 candidates' stances on issues related to federal assistance programs?
Ballotpedia also covered what the candidates said about budgets, healthcare, taxes, and labor and employment.

OVERVIEW OF CANDIDATE POSITIONS

Hillary Clinton supported enhanced benefits for the most vulnerable seniors, improving how Social Security works for women, and expanding Social Security benefits for those caring for elderly relatives to make up for the benefits they lose by taking time off of work.

Donald Trump believed that he and other wealthy Americans should relinquish their Social Security benefits and that widespread fraud exists in the Medicare, disability insurance, and food stamp programs. Trump supported the 1996 Welfare Reform Act’s work requirement.

Jill Stein supported establishing a "Medicare for All" system, designing effective anti-poverty programs that preserve dignity, and creating ample public housing with affordable utilities.

Gary Johnson supported providing government assistance to those truly in need. Johnson also supported cuts to Medicaid and Medicare combined with block grants to the states to design and run entitlement programs.

Democratic ticket

Hillary Clinton

• In an interview with Vox conducted on June 22, 2016, and published on July 11, 2016, Hillary Clinton discussed extreme poverty and welfare reform with interviewer Ezra Klein. Clinton said, “We had policies that I think contributed greatly to the increase in childhood poverty starting in 2001, the Great Recession being the worst of those. But there were also policy decisions, regulatory changes — providing more leeway to the states, so that they did not have either the requirement or the incentive to continue lifting people, particularly kids, out of poverty. … I think we have to do much more to target federal programs to the poorest, where intergenerational poverty is once again a cycle. Congressman Jim Clyburn has a creative idea called the 10-20-30 approach, where you would put a percentage of federal funds — 10 percent of federal funds — in those communities that are most impoverished and have been for 30 years.”

• At a campaign event in Iowa, on November 22, 2015, Hillary Clinton unveiled a proposal to expand Social Security benefits for those caring for elderly relatives to compensate for the loss of benefits they face when they take time off of work to do so. Those benefits would be calculated based on their top thirty-five years of earnings. The plan also would allow people caring for aging parents and grandparents to offset up to $6,000 in out-of-pocket caregiving costs, for a savings of up to $1,200 off of their tax bill. She framed the plan as an extension of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's signature healthcare law. According to Clinton's proposal, caregiving encouraged “seniors to remain in their own homes, maintain independence, save costs, and still obtain the support they need. Clinton also recommended expanding "respite care," which provides care when the caregiver needs a break from the responsibility. The entire plan was estimated to cost $10 billion over 10 years, according to Politico.

Hillary Clinton on Social Security & Medicare

• On October 21, 2015, Clinton posted an essay on Medium criticizing Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) for signing over the management of the state’s Medicaid program to private companies. “I’m very wary of proposals like this because when Republicans say ‘privatize services,’ too often they mean cut services. At the federal level, Republicans put forward budgets year after year that would block grant the program and cut Medicaid by up to a third, putting millions of beneficiaries at risk. In particular, in Iowa, I believe advocates have raised some legitimate concerns about the companies that were awarded contracts that have faced accusations of mismanagement,” wrote Clinton.

• In April 2015, Clinton completed a questionnaire on labor issues for the AFL-CIO. Reuters reported on August 17, 2015, that Clinton stated in this questionnaire that she wanted to “improve how Social Security works for women” and “enhance benefits for our most vulnerable seniors.”

• In 2013, while members of Congress were debating the details of HR 2642 - Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the Farm Bill, Clinton tweeted: "What happens to kids in families cut from unemployment insurance & food stamps? They’re #2SmallToFail, & deserve an equal chance to succeed."

• According to the The Washington Post, during the 2008 presidential campaign, Clinton said that "she did not think the Social Security system is in crisis, would appoint a bipartisan commission as president to make recommendations for a long-term fix, would not talk about specific ideas during the campaign and would resist doing so as president until the commission offered up its proposals." In addition, Clinton opposed "private or personal accounts as any part of a Social Security fix."

• According to The New York Times, in May 2002, Clinton "joined a group of moderate and conservative Democratic senators in supporting a bill to increase the work requirement for welfare recipients to 37 hours a week, a significant increase over the current 30 hours."
• Read more of Hillary Clinton's public statements on federal assistance programs.

The 2016 Democratic Party Platform on federal assistance programs

“ Protecting and Expanding Social Security Democrats are proud to be the party that created Social Security, one of the nation’s most successful and effective programs. Without Social Security, nearly half of America’s seniors would be living in poverty. Social Security is more than just a retirement program. It also provides important life insurance to young survivors of deceased workers and provides disability insurance protection. We will fight every effort to cut, privatize, or weaken Social Security, including attempts to raise the retirement age, diminish benefits by cutting cost-of-living adjustments, or reducing earned benefits. Democrats will expand Social Security so that every American can retire with dignity and respect, including women who are widowed or took time out of the workforce to care for their children, aging parents, or ailing family members. The Democratic Party recognizes that the way Social Security cost-of- living adjustments are calculated may not always reflect the spending patterns of seniors, particularly the disproportionate amount they spend on health care expenses. We are committed to exploring alternatives that could better and more equitably serve seniors. We will make sure Social Security’s guaranteed benefits continue for generations to come by asking those at the top to pay more, and will achieve this goal by taxing some of the income of people above $250,000. The Democratic Party is also committed to providing all necessary financial support for the Social Security Administration so that it can provide timely benefits and high-quality service for those it serves. Our plan contrasts starkly with Donald Trump. He has referred to Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme” and has called for privatizing it as well as increasing the retirement age. Ensure the Health and Safety of All Americans Democrats have been fighting to secure universal health care for the American people for generations, and we are proud to be the party that passed Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Being stronger together means finally achieving that goal. We are going to fight to make sure every American has access to quality, affordable health care. We will tackle the problems that remain in our health care system, including cracking down on runaway prescription drug prices and addressing mental health with the same seriousness that we treat physical health. We will fight Republican efforts to roll back the clock on women’s health and reproductive rights, and stand up for Planned Parenthood. And we will tackle the epidemics of substance abuse and gun violence, which each claim tens of thousands of lives every year. Securing Universal Health Care Democrats believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and our health care system should put people before profits. Thanks to the hard work of President Obama and Democrats in Congress, we took a critically important step toward the goal of universal health care by passing the Affordable Care Act, which has covered 20 million more Americans and ensured millions more will never be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Democrats will never falter in our generations-long fight to guarantee health care as a fundamental right for every American. As part of that guarantee, Americans should be able to access public coverage through a public option, and those over 55 should be able to opt in to Medicare. Democrats will empower the states, which are the true laboratories of democracy, to use innovation waivers under the ACA to develop unique locally tailored approaches to health coverage. This will include removing barriers to states which seek to experiment with plans to ensure universal health care to every person in their state. By contrast, Donald Trump wants to repeal the ACA, leaving tens of millions of Americans without coverage. For too many of us, health care costs are still too high, even for those with insurance. And medical debt is a problem for far too many working families, with one-quarter of Americans reporting that they or someone in their household had problems or an inability to pay medical bills in the past year. Democrats will also work to end surprise billing and other practices that lead to out-of-control medical debt that place an unconscionable economic strain on American households. We will repeal the excise tax on high-cost health insurance and find revenue to offset it because we need to contain the long-term growth of health care costs, but should not risk passing on too much of the burden to workers. Democrats will keep costs down by making premiums more affordable, reducing out-of-pocket expenses, and capping prescription drug costs. And we will fight against insurers trying to impose excessive premium increases. Democrats will fight any attempts by Republicans in Congress to privatize, voucherize, or “phase out” Medicare as we know it. And we will oppose Republican plans to slash funding and block grant Medicaid and SNAP, which would harm millions of Americans. We will keep fighting until the ACA’s Medicaid expansion has been adopted in every state. Nineteen states have not yet expanded Medicaid. This means that millions of low-income Americans still lack health insurance and are not getting the care they need. Additionally, health care providers, clinics, hospitals, and taxpayers are footing a higher bill when people without insurance visit expensive emergency rooms. Democrats believe your zip code or census tract should not be a predictor of your health, which is why we will make health equity a central part of our commitment to revitalizing communities left behind. Democrats believe that all health care services should be culturally and linguistically appropriate, and that neither fear nor immigration status should be barriers that impede health care access. ” —2016 Democratic Party Platform

Tim Kaine

• On April 14, 2016, Tim Kaine, along with several Senate colleagues, introduced the States Achieve Medicaid Expansion (SAME) Act of 2016, a bill to ensure that any state that expands Medicaid eligibility after 2014 would be eligible for the same federal matching funds as states that expanded earlier under the Affordable Care Act.
• Kaine and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) announced on December 7, 2015, that 18 Virginia localities would receive more than $1.5 million in grants under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program. “Providing Americans with the resources to succeed in today’s workforce is critical for a strong economy and helps families keep food on the table,” Kaine said. “I applaud the Department of Housing and Urban Development for taking this approach to spurring economic activity. These grants will give Virginians the opportunity to increase their income and move up the economic ladder.”

• Read more of Tim Kaine's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

Republican ticket

Donald Trump

• At the No Labels conference on October 12, 2015, Donald Trump said he and other ultra-wealthy Americans should “voluntarily” relinquish their Social Security benefits. “I have friends that are worth hundreds of millions and billions of dollars and get Social Security. They don’t even know the check comes in,” he said.

• While speaking at the Iowa Freedom Summit in January 2015, Trump said he would save Social Security. He stated, "We have to make our country rich again so we can do that, so we can save Social Security. Because I'm not a cutter. I'll probably be the only Republican that doesn't want to cut Social Security. I want to make the country rich so that Social Security can be afforded and Medicare and Medicaid. Get rid of the waste. Get rid of the fraud. But you deserve your Social Security."

• Trump suggested at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2013 that a Republican cannot win an election and substantially change Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security.

• In his 2011 book, Time to Get Tough, Trump discussed his position on several federal assistance and entitlement programs.

• Defending Social Security, Trump wrote, "It's not unreasonable for people who paid into a system for decades to expect to get their money's worth–that's not an 'entitlement,' that's honoring a deal. We as a society must also make an ironclad commitment to providing a safety net for those who can't make one for themselves. Social Security is here to stay. To be sure, we must reform it, root out the fraud, make it more efficient, and ensure that the program is solvent. Same goes for Medicare. Again, people have lived up to their end of the bargain and paid into the program in good faith. Of course they believe they're 'entitled' to receive the benefits they paid for–they are!"

• Trump criticized Medicare and disability insurance benefits for being rampant with fraud.

• Trump wrote, "The food stamp program was originally created as temporary assistance for families with momentary times of need. And it shouldn't be needed often. Thankfully, 96 percent of America's poor parents say their children never suffer even a day of hunger. But when half of food stamp recipients have been on the dole for nearly a decade, something is clearly wrong, and some of it has to do with fraud."

• Trump also praised the 1996 Welfare Reform Act's welfare-to-work measure in this book. Trump wrote, "To get your check, you had to prove that you were enrolled in job-training or trying to find work. But here's the rub: the 1996 Welfare Reform Act only dealt with one program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), not the other seventy-six welfare programs which, today, cost taxpayers more than $900 billion annually. We need to take a page from the 1996 reform and do the same for other welfare programs. Benefits should have strings attached to them. After all, if it's our money recipients are getting, we the people should have a say in how it's spent. The way forward is to do what we did with AFDC and attach welfare benefits to work. The Welfare Reform Act of 2011–proposed by Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Scott Garrett of New Jersey–does just that."

• Read more of Donald Trump's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Republican Party Platform on federal assistance programs

“ Preserving Medicare and Medicaid More than 100 million Americans depend on Medicare or Medicaid for their healthcare; with our population aging, that number will increase. To preserve Medicare and Medicaid, the financing of these important programs must be brought under control before they consume most of the federal budget, including national defense. The good news is that it can be done, and it can be done without endangering the elderly and the needy who depend on those programs. We intend to save Medicare by modernizing it, empowering its participants, and putting it on a secure financial footing. We will preserve the promise of Medicaid as well by making that program, designed for 1965 medicine, a vehicle for good health in an entirely new era. Medicare’s long-term debt is in the trillions, and it is funded by a workforce that is shrinking relative to the size of future beneficiaries. Obamacare worsened the situation — and imperiled seniors — by imposing hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare providers to pay for its new spending. When a vital program is so clearly headed for a train wreck, it’s time to put it on a more secure track. That is why we propose these reforms: Impose no changes for persons 55 or older. Give others the option of traditional Medicare or transition to a premium-support model designed to strengthen patient choice, promote cost-saving competition among providers, and better guard against the fraud and abuse that now diverts billions of dollars every year away from patient care. Guarantee to every enrollee an income-adjusted contribution toward a plan of their choice, with catastrophic protection. Without disadvantaging present retirees or those nearing retirement, set a more realistic age for eligibility in light of today’s longer life span. This is an agenda to improve healthcare, not just to manage its costs. We reject the Democrats’ approach of rationing inherent in Obamacare. We recognize the de facto rationing of healthcare caused by reduced access to doctors who increasingly opt out of participating in Medicare and Medicaid. We will not accept that or any other approach which denies care — or lowers its quality — for America’s elderly. Medicaid presents related, but somewhat different challenges. As the dominant force in the health market with regard to long-term care, births, and persons with mental illness, it is the next frontier of welfare reform. It is simply too big and too flawed to be administered from Washington. Most of the vaunted expansion of health insurance coverage under Obamacare actually has been an unprecedented expansion of the Medicaid rolls in many states. We applaud the Republican governors and state legislators who have undertaken the hard work of modernizing Medicaid. We will give them a free hand to do so by block-granting the program without strings. Their initiatives — whether premium supports for purchasing insurance, refundable tax credits, alternatives to hospitalization for chronic patients, disease prevention activities, and other innovations — are the best strategy for preserving Medicaid for those who need it the most. Block granting Medicaid is particularly needed to address mental health care. Mental illness affects people from all walks of life, but there has been little success in developing effective system-wide medical models for addressing mental health. For a variety of unique reasons, government is often the first frontier for people experiencing mental health problems — from first responders who deal with crises to publicly funded mental health facilities and prisons where large numbers of inmates suffer from mental illnesses. Using block grants would allow states to experiment with different systems to address mental health and develop successful models to be replicated in states across the nation. The current federally dictated mental health care regime is wasteful and ineffective, and moving to a block grant approach would allow for state and local governments to create solutions for individuals and families in desperate need of help in addressing mental illness. We respect the states’ authority and flexibility to exclude abortion providers from federal programs such as Medicaid and other healthcare and family planning programs so long as they continue to perform or refer for elective abortions or sell the body parts of aborted children. Saving Social Security We reject the old maxim that Social Security is the “Third Rail” of American politics, deadly for anyone who would change it. The Democratic Party still treats it that way, even though everyone knows that its current course will lead to a financial and social disaster. Younger Americans have lost all faith in the program and expect little return for what they are paying into it. As the party of America’s future, we accept the responsibility to preserve and modernize a system of retirement security forged in an old industrial era beyond the memory of most Americans. Current retirees and those close to retirement can be assured of their benefits. Of the many reforms being proposed, all options should be considered to preserve Social Security. As Republicans, we oppose tax increases and believe in the power of markets to create wealth and to help secure the future of our Social Security system. Saving Social Security is more than a challenge. It is our moral obligation to those who trusted in the government’s word. ” —2016 Republican Party Platform

Mike Pence

• During his 2015 CPAC speech, Mike Pence said, "When it comes to most public assistance programs, states are simply better-equipped to innovate and manage anti-poverty programs in a fiscally-responsible way. Because states can’t print money. ...In Indiana, we ended traditional Medicaid for all able-bodied adults and replaced it with consumer driven healthcare and health savings accounts."

• In 2014, Pence chose not to accept federal funds for a pre-kindergarten pilot study. He explained that the funding "would have required us to expand our pre-K pilot before it is even up and running. It's important to note that many early learning programs across the country have not been successful over the years. On behalf of the children the pilot is designed to serve, it is imperative that Indiana get this right. ...It is important not to allow the lure of federal grant dollars to define our state's mission and programs. More federal dollars do not necessarily equal success, especially when those dollars come with requirements and conditions that will not help — and may even hinder — running a successful program of our own making."
• Read more of Mike Pence's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

Green candidate

Jill Stein

• On her 2016 presidential campaign website, Jill Stein's Power to the People plan included a proposal to end poverty: "Guarantee economic human rights, including access to food, water, housing, and utilities, with effective anti-poverty programs to ensure every American a life of dignity." Stein also proposed making healthcare a right. Her plan called for establishing an "improved 'Medicare For All' single-payer public health insurance program to provide everyone with quality health care, at huge savings."

• On her 2012 presidential campaign website, Jill Stein supported expanding "rental and home ownership assistance and create ample public housing" and guaranteeing "the right to accessible and affordable utilities – heat, electricity, phone, internet, and public transportation – through democratically run, publicly owned utilities that operate at cost, not for profit." She also rejected cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
• Read more of Jill Stein's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Green Party Platform on federal assistance programs

“ C. Economic Justice / Social Safety Net The passage of the 1996 Welfare Act by Congress and its signing by the President confronts us with hard choices. Democrats and Republicans seem to be saying the country cannot afford to care for children and poor mothers. In ending over fifty years of federal policy guaranteeing cash assistance for poor children, Congress has set in motion a radical experiment that will have a profound impact on the lives of the weakest members of our society. How will state, city and county governments, local communities, businesses and religious institutions — all of us — respond? We have a special responsibility to the health and wellbeing of the young. Yet we see the federal safety net being removed and replaced with limited and potentially harsh state welfare programs. How will social services be adequately provided if local resources are already stretched thin? We believe our community priorities must first protect the young and helpless. Yet how will state legislatures and agencies, under pressure from more powerful interests, react? We believe local decision-making is important, but we realize, as we learned during the civil rights era, that strict federal standards must guide state actions in providing basic protections. As the richest nation in history, we should not condemn millions of children to a life of poverty, while corporate welfare is increased to historic highs. The Green Party opposes the privatization of Social Security. It is critical that the public protections of Social Security are not privatized and subjected to increased risk. The bottom 20% of American senior citizens get roughly 80% of their income from Social Security, and without Social Security, nearly 70% of black elderly and 60% of Latino elderly households would be in poverty. D. Welfare: A Commitment to Ending Poverty An unjust society is an unsustainable society. When communities are stressed by poverty, violence and despair, our ability to meet the challenges of the post industrial age are critically impaired. A holistic, future-focused perspective on how we distribute resources in this country would consider the effects of such distribution not just on our present needs, but on the seventh generation to come. It is time for a radical shift in our attitude toward support for families, children, the poor and the disabled. Such support must not be given grudgingly; it is the right of those presently in need and an investment in our future. We must take an uncompromising position that the care and nurture of children, elders and the disabled are essential to a healthy, peaceful, and sustainable society. We should recognize that the work of their caregivers is of social and economic value, and reward it accordingly. Ensuring that children and their caregivers have access to an adequate, secure standard of living should form the cornerstone of our economic priorities. Only then can we hope to build our future on a foundation of healthy, educated children who are raised in an atmosphere of love and security. a. All people have a right to food, housing, medical care, jobs that pay a living wage, education, and support in times of hardship. b. Work performed outside the monetary system has inherent social and economic value, and is essential to a healthy, sustainable economy and peaceful communities. Such work includes: child and elder care; homemaking; voluntary community service; continuing education; participating in government; and the arts. c. We call for restoration of a federally funded entitlement program to support children, families, the unemployed, elderly and disabled, with no time limit on benefits. d. This program should be funded through the existing welfare budget, reductions in military spending and corporate subsidies, and a fair, progressive income tax. e. We call for a graduated supplemental income, or negative income tax, that would maintain all individual adult incomes above the poverty level, regardless of employment or marital status. f. We advocate reinvesting a significant portion of the military budget into family support, living-wage job development, and work training programs. Publicly funded work training and education programs should have a goal of increasing employment options at finding living-wage jobs. g. We support public funding for the development of living-wage jobs in community and environmental service. For example, environmental clean-up, recycling, sustainable agriculture and food production, sustainable forest management, repair and maintenance of public facilities, neighborhood-based public safety, aides in schools, libraries and childcare centers, and construction and renovation of energy-efficient housing. We oppose enterprise zone giveaways, which benefit corporations more than inner-city communities. h. The accumulation of individual wealth in the U.S. has reached grossly unbalanced proportions. It is clear that we cannot rely on the rich to regulate their profit-making excesses for the good of society through "trickle-down economics." We must take aggressive steps to restore a fair distribution of income. We support tax incentives for businesses that apply fair employee wage distribution standards, and income tax policies that restrict the accumulation of excessive individual wealth. i. Forcing welfare recipients to accept jobs that pay wages below a living wage drives wages down and exploits workers for private profit at public expense. We reject workfare as being a form of indentured servitude. j. Corporations receiving public subsidies must provide jobs that pay a living wage, observe basic workers' rights, and agree to affirmative action policies. ” —2016 Green Party Platform

Libertarian candidate

Gary Johnson

• In an interview with Reason.com on September 26, 2016, Johnson said, "And balancing the federal budget, that's all about young people. That's all about these programs: Medicaid, Medicare, a healthcare safety net that will actually exist for young people today. My generation, I'm gonna get healthcare. I'm gonna get retirement, but you're not as a young person. Come on. We've blown it. Young people, I know they recognize this."

• During an interview with The Texas Tribune on April 12, 2016, Gary Johnson discussed government assistance programs. On deciding who should receive government assistance, Johnson said, “I’m not for survival of the fittest. I have identified people that truly are in need. Without government help, they’re really going to fall through the cracks. But we’ve gone way over the line in defining in need. That needs to be scaled back, or we’re going to find ourselves not being able to provide any of these services. So I am for smaller government. Less taxes. That’s more freedom for you and I to spend that money. … I’m proposing a balanced budget, and you can’t balance the budget if you don’t address Medicaid, Medicare and military spending. The only way to accomplish this is to give it up to the states, which are laboratories of best practice. [Johnson says the federal government should give states block grants for entitlement programs and allow them to set the rules.] You will ultimately have best practices that will be emulated. We’re also going to witness horrible failure that would later be avoided.”

• In an August 2011 interview, Johnson said he would reduce the cost of Medicare and Medicaid and increase state oversight of the programs. "I would have the federal government cut Medicare and Medicaid by 43 percent and block grant the programs [to the states] with no strings. Instead of giving the states one dollar—and it’s not really giving because there are strings attached—the federal government needs to give the states 57 cents, take away the strings and give the states carte blanche for how to give health care to the poor," he said.

• While governor of New Mexico in 2000, Johnson wanted to impose a gross income cap on welfare recipients.
• Read more of Gary Johnson's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform on federal assistance programs

“ 2.11 Retirement and Income Security Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. Libertarians would phase out the current government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private voluntary system. The proper and most effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. We believe members of society will become even more charitable and civil society will be strengthened as government reduces its activity in this realm. ” —2016 Libertarian Party Platform

Withdrawn candidates

Democrats

• Lincoln Chafee on federal assistance programs
• Martin O'Malley on federal assistance programs
• Bernie Sanders on federal assistance programs
• Jim Webb on federal assistance programs

Republicans

• Jeb Bush on federal assistance programs
• Ben Carson on federal assistance programs
• Chris Christie on federal assistance programs
• Ted Cruz on federal assistance programs
• Carly Fiorina on federal assistance programs
• Lindsey Graham on federal assistance programs
• Mike Huckabee on federal assistance programs
• Bobby Jindal on federal assistance programs
• John Kasich on federal assistance programs
• George Pataki on federal assistance programs
• Rand Paul on federal assistance programs
• Rick Perry on federal assistance programs
• Marco Rubio on federal assistance programs
• Rick Santorum on federal assistance programs
• Scott Walker on federal assistance programs

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term 2016 + presidential + candidates + federal + assistance + programs

2016 Presidential Candidates on Federal Assistance Programs News Feed

See also

• Presidential candidates, 2016
• Electoral College

External links

• ProCon.org's "Should Social Security Be Privatized?"
• ProCon.org's "Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?"