Commentary: The 'Battle of Newburgh'
With Republicans, in debt ceiling negotiations, pushing to impose work requirements on federal aid programs like food stamps and welfare, it's inst...
With Republicans, in debt ceiling negotiations, pushing to impose work requirements on federal aid programs like food stamps and welfare, it's instructive to look at an earlier debate over 'welfare reform': The 1961 'Battle of Newburgh,' which trained a national spotlight on the Hudson Valley city — and which raised up the welfare issue as a conservative rallying cry. In June 1961, Newburgh adopted a 13-point welfare 'reform' program intended, its proponents said, to save the city money and cast off freeloaders they claimed were taking advantage of the system.