The Nation - News from March 3, 1986

The Reagan Administration is developing a proposal that would for the first time put a cap on the assistance poor people could receive from the federal government. The limit would be set roughly at the poverty level, currently $10,990 for a family of four, Administration officials told the New York Times. The proposal to put an upper limit on federal benefits poor people could receive is being prepared by President Reagan’s Domestic Policy Council, the newspaper said. The council, which consists of eight Cabinet officers, is conducting a comprehensive review of social welfare programs, the newspaper said.