Safety Net Effective at Fighting Poverty But Has Weakened for the Very Poorest

From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

 As mounting job losses threaten to push more Americans into poverty and make poor families still poorer, a new examination of the public benefits system finds that it is more effective in reducing poverty than previously known but has become less effective over the past decade in protecting Americans from deep poverty.

To paint a fuller picture of the effect of the public benefits system (sometimes referred to as the “safety net”) in reducing hardship, this analysis adopts changes to the Census Bureau’s official poverty measure recommended by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), as explained in the methodological appendix. It also uses data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on the receipt of public benefits that are more complete than Census data.

Key Findings:

An improved poverty measure, using more accurate benefit data and following National Academy of Sciences recommendations, reveals that:

• Safety net programs are more effective at reducing poverty than previously known. They reduce the number of poor Americans by almost half — by nearly 31 million people.
• The safety net also reduces deep poverty effectively, lifting 76 percent of deeply poor children above half of the poverty line in 2005.
• Over the last decade, however, the safety net has grown less effective at protecting families from the deepest poverty, including families with unemployed workers

Read the full CBPP report HERE

Filed under: National, Public policy, economy , economy, poverty, Safety net, war on poverty

Federal Election Commission Needs Reform

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) recently called on President Obama to replace two FEC commissioners, whose terms have expired, with new appointee’s committed to restoring the FEC’s role as a strong federal campaign finance watchdog.

CREW concerns with recent FEC actions include:

• Allowing Norm Coleman to use his campaign funds to defend himself against allegations that a long-time associate steered some $100,000 to him through a company that employed his wife.

• Voting against investigating allegations that Wal-Mart had store managers give presentations to staff claiming that the Employee Free Choice Act would hurt Wal-Mart workers and would become law if Democrats won Congress and the White House in 2008. In some cases, the managers also reportedly attacked then-candidate Barack Obama.

• Issuing an advisory opinion that allows Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN) to use campaign funds to pay legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with an ongoing federal investigation.

• Issuing an advisory opinion that allows Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) to use his family’s yacht for campaign events to raise money to finance his re-election.

To read more click HERE…

Filed under: National, Public policy , campaign finance reform, FEC, Federal Election Commission