If a person works full time for min wage then they should get gov't assistance. I dont think anyone has a problem with that. They ARE working. If they need extra to make ends meet then nobody has a problem with that. Its those that dont get out and work at all.
I have a problem with it. I have a BIGTIME problem with it.
Every $1 of assistance given costs US taxpayers much more than $1. I don't have figures on administration costs. The Feds say 5% but that's just their end of it. The states and the feds share administration costs. The money has to be collected, applications for assistance have to be processed and approved, the money has to be distributed. Every 5 years the legislation is reviewed and amended. It's a huge bureaucracy, all of which costs money. And it still comes down to taxpayers are subsidizing wages for large, highly-profitable multi-national corporations. Increasing minimum wages decreases the amount of money spent on these income assistance programs.
If those large multi-national corporations are required to increase their level of pay, it reduces the number of people qualifying for these assistance programs, and hence the $$ spent on administration of these programs. Additionally, the employer can claim the increased pay as a business expenses and their taxes are reduced accordingly. If the corporation is paying 35% in taxes (yeah, I know about "effective tax rates" which is why I said "if"), then in reality, every $1 of increased wages only costs them $0.65. Every taxpayer in the US contributes $2,500 to Walmart employees. Walmart, being one of the most profitable companies in the US, can well afford to pay their employees enough that they don't qualify for this assistance.
I would rather have the money go from the employer directly to the employee and eliminate administration expenses of funneling it through the government.