 But if you look at the data, the reality is a lot messier. And so this gets a little wonky, but here we go. So if you look at per capita welfare spending on the 13th biggest means-tested programs, these are things that we usually think about when we think about welfare, like food stamps, housing assistance, Medicaid. So spending on those programs goes from about $1,000 per person the first year Ronald Reagan is elected president to about $3,400 per person the first year of Trump's presidency.