welfare vs public assistance

welfare and public assistance both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
welfare	Yes	No	No	No
public assistance	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, welfare and public assistance are synonyms defined as:

welfare and public assistance: governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need

Other synonyms of welfare include social welfare.

welfare (noun)	public assistance (noun)
governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need	governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
something that aids or promotes well-being
a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous