Consider

Consider the Republicans aren't against government programs for families at or below the poverty level because it's wasteful spending. They're against them because they don't want people to have opportunities to improve their lives. It's not about what the government can do and does to help. It's about keeping a permanent class of people in poverty to criticize government.

If they can't bitch about government they have nothing to run their political campaigns on and against. It's easier to create problems than solve them, something they've long known and something the Democrats haven't found the solution to challenge them and hold them accountability. The failure is the Republicans for creating it and the Democrats for not solving it.