John Washington III Says Child-Support Enforcement Must Answer for Families' Real Outcomes, Not Just Collections
John Washington III, a 2028 presidential candidate, argued that after 51 years the federal child-support enforcement program should be judged by fairness and family stability, not only by the dollars it collects.
John Washington III, a candidate for president in 2028, questioned whether child-support enforcement has always protected the families it was created to serve. He wrote that Americans have been told for decades that enforcement protects families, but that history shows some policies, in his words, "punished families for having a man in the home."
John Washington III pointed to the program's history as he presented it: the federal program began in 1975, part of its design involved reimbursing welfare costs, and a new incentive structure in 1999 rewarded states for collections. He acknowledged that families receive billions in support through the system, but argued that collections alone do not prove fairness or family stability.
John Washington III called for the program to be judged on outcomes for families rather than totals collected. "We should ask who benefits, who struggles, and whether the government is held accountable for families' real outcomes, not just totals collected," he wrote, adding that fifty-one years into the program, Americans deserve clear answers.
