The Trump administration on Monday moved to change the definition of "poverty" in the United States in a proposal which combines the president's attempts to portray the U.S. economy as strong with his repeated attacks on the working poor and their access to government services.
In a regulatory filing, President Donald Trump's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) wrote that it may change how inflation is calculated in order to reduce the number of Americans who are living below the federally-recognized poverty line and are therefore eligible for certain government support services and social programs.
As Melissa Boteach, who oversees income security programs at the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), wrote on Twitter, the change "seems technical, but it's actually a big attack on working people."
In a regulatory filing, President Donald Trump's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) wrote that it may change how inflation is calculated in order to reduce the number of Americans who are living below the federally-recognized poverty line and are therefore eligible for certain government support services and social programs.
As Melissa Boteach, who oversees income security programs at the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), wrote on Twitter, the change "seems technical, but it's actually a big attack on working people."
Seems technical,
but it’s actually a big attack on working people. In short, Trump wants
to weaken how our poverty definition keeps pace with cost of living. So
each year, as costs go up, many working people w/low pay would gradually
be stripped of WIC, Medicaid & other basics
3/
— Melissa Boteach (@mboteach) May
7, 2019
Under the administration's proposal, which was first reported by Bloomberg News, the government would shift to a system known as "Chained CPI," which assumes consumers will change what they buy as items grow more expensive through inflation, suggesting that they are not struggling to afford necessities.
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