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You Shouldn’t Need a Law Degree to Get Food Assistance
I’m a lawyer, but I was barely able to navigate the food assistance bureaucracy in Massachusetts. Even in one of the most liberal states in this country, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program...
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What Ben Carson Doesn’t Get About Poverty
“The prescription for the cure rests with the accurate diagnosis of the disease.” Apply Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson’s latest plan and...
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The Tax Plan Isn’t Just About Taxes—It’s About Shredding the Safety Net
In a recent interview, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) described the congressional Republican approach to government as “survival of the fittest.” “If you’re well off, great, if you’re not—too bad,” he...
View ArticleHow Access to Public Assistance Impacts Political Participation
Poverty was all Lucy* had ever known. Early in her adult life, a mixture of desperation and patriotism led her to join the military. When she left her three children and headed to the frontlines of the...
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What Happens When Low-Income Mothers Call the Police
Amid the national discourse on policing, it is easy to lose sight of the day-to-day functions that police are expected to perform—the noise reduction, the carrying of groceries, the stopgap plumbing,...
View ArticleWho Are the ‘Legitimate’ Poor?
Recently, I disobeyed a cardinal rule of the Internet and decided to read comments on an article I once published in the Missoula Independent. I had begun writing about raising my daughters on very...
View ArticleWhy Seniors—Not CEOs—Deserve a Raise
Any conversation about tackling poverty in the United States should include protecting and expanding Social Security. The reason is pretty straightforward: Social Security is the most powerful tool...
View ArticleHow We Can Save $17 Billion in Public Assistance—Annually
Note to conservatives: Want to know the best way to find savings in government assistance programs? Here’s a hint—it’s not by cutting nutrition assistance to working people who are struggling. It’s by...
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Thousands of Americans Could Face Hunger Due to Loss of Food Assistance
While economists have declared the recession over, we know that millions of Americans throughout the nation are still struggling to find full-time work. For them, simply getting by can be a daily...
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Paul Ryan’s Forum on Expanding Opportunity Won’t Expand Opportunity
This past weekend, in my congressional district, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott hosted a presidential candidate forum titled “Expanding Opportunity.” This title...
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The Ten Worst States for Food Insecurity
Years into the economic recovery, far too many families are struggling against hunger. In fact, as the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture data reveals, 14 percent—or 17.4 million...
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The Ten Worst States for Poverty
Years into the economic recovery, poverty and economic insecurity remain far too high. In fact, as the most recent Census Bureau data reveals, the share of Americans with incomes below the poverty...
View ArticleSurviving the Holidays While Poor
While the holiday season is meant to be a joyful time, for many of us it is a time of great financial challenge and worry. Throughout December, as Christmas and New Year’s Eve drew closer, I felt...
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Why Achieving the American Dream Depends on Your Zip Code
Today, the state of the American Dream—the ability of anyone to work hard and get ahead—largely depends on one’s zip code. That is more than a little troubling, given that 97 percent of Americans...
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Paul Ryan’s (Accidental) Case for Raising the Minimum Wage
Today, Paul Ryan gave his first major policy speech as Speaker of the House of Representatives. He spoke for nearly half an hour about “the millions of people stuck in neutral… 45 million people living...
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How to Expand Our Nation’s Most Effective Anti-Poverty Program
Social Security is our nation’s most effective anti-poverty program. The system’s modest but vital benefits lifted 21.4 million Americans out of poverty in 2014, including 1.1 million children. It...
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We Don’t Need to Wait on Congress to Fight Homelessness
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “On a single night in January 2014, 578,424 people were experiencing homelessness—meaning they were sleeping outside or in an emergency shelter...
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How Congress is Spending Billions to Make Inequality Worse
So we’re going to be completely honest with you: taxes are boring. Deductions. Exclusions. Deferrals. Refundability. God help us. But stick with us for a minute, because tax programs are crucial for...
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Tell CNN to #TalkPoverty During the Democratic Debate
This post continues our campaign at TalkPoverty.org to ask 2016 presidential candidates about how they would significantly reduce poverty and inequality in this country. CNN is hosting the first...
View ArticleThe Art of Balancing the Ledger While in Poverty
When you live at or under the federal poverty level, you’d better be good at crunching numbers. Every cent coming in or going out needs to be accounted for. My day planners have always been filled with...
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