The presidential election has made one thing clear: The candidates have very different ideas about which Americans should be at the center of their policies.
And that matters, especially when it comes to poverty in America and who gets a chance at the American Dream. For all the talk about economic growth and opportunity, poverty in this country remains a problem. This is not an accident, it's a policy choice.
Vice President Harris said, “Opportunity Economy” She has promoted policies that create a path to the middle class and lift up working families. She has promoted policies that support low-income workers, especially women and people of color, including through investments in public goods. Affordable Housing, Paid family leave and education.
Former President Trump continues Tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations —These advantages are “Trickle Down” We've all seen this before. The former Trump administration Prioritize the accumulation of wealth for a few AmericansThe rest of us have no choice but to take low-paying jobs. Stingy benefits, Rising cost of living and Growing inequality.
The impact of these policy choices is reflected in the numbers.
Latest Release Number of people living in poverty According to the census, child poverty increased and the gender pay gap widened in 2023. In 2021, the child poverty rate hit an all-time low. Thanks to the expanded child tax credit It helped pay for food and rent, but the benefits have since disappeared and child poverty has soared. For the second year in a rowIf the child tax credit had been expanded this year, 5.6 million children could have been lifted out of poverty.
In contrast, President Trump's flagship bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, slashed corporate tax rates, boosting profits for companies that: Walmart, Verizon, Meth.
Governing is about choices. Poverty is a policy choice. Our leaders can decide whether families can lift themselves out of poverty and whether businesses can save on taxes. Our leaders can decide whether more parents can improve the lives of their children or whether the upwardly mobile American Dream will die for their generation. And the candidates we vote for will shape those futures.
Ending poverty certainly requires cash, but it also requires fixing the systems that get in the way of working people. Have a jobwhat matters is having stable housing and decent health care, plus a job with benefits and a minimum wage. We need policies that match the scale and complexity of the problem. Public investments like housing, family leave, and the child tax credit are not just nice to have; they actually reduce poverty and provide the sense of security people need to get ahead.
For parents with young children or workers battling cancer, paid leave gives them time to care for the health of themselves and their loved ones without losing pay or their jobs. In other words Better job opportunities, higher wages, and a more stable path to the middle class, especially for women. Affordable housing is more than just having a roof over your head. Connect Better health, a better education for our children, and job security through direct cash payments through programs like the Child Tax Credit and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Helping families Meeting basic needs and promoting economic mobility.
As The richest country in the worldWe have the tools to create opportunity for all. If we want a strong and growing economy, we must make sure that a path to the middle class is open to everyone, not just a lucky few. This is not a zero-sum game. When more people succeed, the entire country benefits.
Poverty in America is stagnant because we choose to leave it there. The outdated idea that poverty can be avoided if you work, marry, and raise children successfully in the right order only entrenches policies that allow only a few people to thrive. That can't continue to be the answer. We need bold ideas. And even more important, we need leaders who have the courage to implement those ideas.
Ultimately, the choices we make now will shape the kind of country we live in — one where opportunity is a reality for all of us, or one where opportunity is reserved for only a few.
Lelaine Bigelow Executive Director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality.
