The New York Times’ Jason DeParle and Robert M. Gebeloff had a disquieting report this weekend that six million Americans — or 1 in 50 households — earn no income except for food stamps. This, in part, indicates as Understanding Government has looked at, that food stamps “work” as a federal social safety net program. But what about the other parts of the social safety net?

The main cash welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, has scarcely expanded during the recession; the rolls are still down about 75 percent from their 1990s peak. A different program, unemployment insurance, has rapidly grown, but still omits nearly half the unemployed. Food stamps, easier to get, have become the safety net of last resort.

DeParle and Gebeloff reported a month ago that food stamps have lost their stigma among the public, lawmakers and the White House. Improving the labor market is expected to be the next priority of the Obama administration and Congress. Maybe Obama and Congress could at least partly do for welfare what they’ve done for food stamps.

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