Deciding who needs things has huge overhead, both in terms of administration and politics. It can also have unintended consequences, for example the various pov

Deciding who needs things has huge overhead, both in terms of administration and politics. It can also have unintended consequences, for example the various poverty traps in the US system where you can end up poorer when you get a raise or a better job, because you lose more benefits than the money you gain. Just giving to everyone is much simpler. The bet is that this simplicity overcomes the higher cost.