Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Paul Ryan Using Think Tanks for Anti-Poverty Push

The Washington Post is reporting that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been "trolling center-right think tanks and intellectuals for ideas to replace the 'bureaucratic, top-down anti-poverty programs' that Ryan blames for 'wrecking families and communities' since Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty in 1964."

Two think tanks are mentioned in the article: Heritage Foundation and Manhattan Institute (MI).

The article does not describe Paul's embrace of the Heritage Foundation, but notes that the conservative think tank held a day-long anti-poverty forum at the Capitol last week to examine the rise in food stamp dependency since the recession and methods of prison rehabilitation.  Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) have the keynote address at the event.  Here are Mike Lee's comments.

The article also quotes Scott Winship, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a think tank that has been advising Rep. Ryan's staff, according to the article.  The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is a conservative think tank based In New York.

It was announced last year that the Heritage Foundation and Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE) will partner for an Anti-Poverty Initiative.

Here is a previous Think Tank Watch post on Paul Ryan and conservative think tanks.