Report: U.S. spent $3.7 Trillion on welfare over last 5 years

Another historic moment. Here's one to accompany that previous record unemployment post...

TheWeeklyStandard: New research from the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee shows that over the last 5 years, the U.S. has spent about $3.7 trillion on welfare. Here's a chart, showing that spending versus transportation, education, and NASA spending:

"We have just concluded the 5th fiscal year since President Obama took office. During those five years, the federal government has spent a total $3.7 trillion on approximately 80 different means-tested poverty and welfare programs. The common feature of means-tested assistance programs is that they are graduated based on a person’s income and, in contrast to programs like Social Security or Medicare, they are a free benefit and not paid into by the recipient," says the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee.

The research goes on to explain how that 'enormous sum' spent on welfare assistance is 'nearly five times greater than the combined amount spent on NASA, education, and all federal transportation projects over that time.' Furthermore, because the welfare budget is so fragmented (15 federal programs alone that provide food assistance, for example) effective oversight is near impossible, not to mention the scope of the budget being disguised certainly from taxpayers, but apparently from lawmakers as well (or that's the desired perception of the latter when making such arguments that nothing can possibly be cut or everything that could be cut has been).