Tagged: Welfare

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The head of Washington's largest state agency has announced her resignation. Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Susan Dreyfus announced Wednesday she will leave at the end of the year to take a job in her home state of Wisconsin. Her departure comes as the agency prepares for another round of budget cuts.

In a single day, Washington cut more than 5,000 families from the state's welfare-to-work program. That's because a strict, five-year limit on benefits kicked in. It's a cost-cutting measure ordered by the Governor.

Some Washington welfare recipients are withdrawing cash at out-of-state liquor stores, smoke shops and even strip clubs. That’s the finding of a public radio investigation into welfare debit card use outside Washington’s borders. The finding comes at a time when the state’s welfare program is $82 million in the red.