For Social Programs, Long-Awaited Boost; 'Paradigm Shift' Seen in Stimulus Plan

The economic stimulus package dramatically ramps up spending for a broad array of social programs for needy Americans in a way not seen since the launch of the Great Society programs.

"We are seeing a paradigm shift," said Paul L. Posner, a former Government Accountability Office official who teaches at George Mason University.

The bill includes billions in new money for food stamps, expanded child care and services for the homeless. It funds long-sought increases in education funding for low-income and special education students, new refundable tax credits for low-income workers, stepped- up job training, expanded health-care coverage, and an increase of $100 a month in unemployment insurance.

All of the new spending is temporary, with most of it slated to end after two years. And given the nation's bleak budgetary outlook, even many supporters of the programs say there will be no option but to roll back the increases once the immediate economic crisis passes.

At the same time, many of the new initiatives dovetail with the policy goals of President Obama and congressional Democrats, who have talked about the need to …