Infuriating Democrats, Trump Plans To Redefine Poverty, Cutting Americans From Welfare

by | May 8, 2019 | Headline News | 26 comments

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    This article was originally published by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge.

    The Trump Administration is looking into altering how it determines the national poverty level, which may put some Americans at risk of losing access to welfare programs, according to Bloomberg. The move might occur from changing how inflation is calculated in the “official poverty measure” according to a regulatory filing by White House Office of Management and Budget. That formula has been used for decades to try and determine where the poverty line is and what people qualify for social programs and federal benefits.

    The measure is calculated at three times the cost of a minimum food diet and adjusted every year as prices rise. It was first set in the 1960s and, in 2018, a family of four making no more than $25,900 was considered under the poverty line. This figure determines eligibility for federal, state and nonprofit programs like Medicaid and food stamps.

    By changing this measure, the poverty level could wind up rising at a slower rate. One proposal has been a shift to “chained CPI”, which regularly shows a slower pace of price gains than the already rigged traditional measures. It shows slower inflation growth because it assumes consumers will substitute less expensive items when prices rise.

    The Office of Management and Budget said: “Because of this, changes to the poverty thresholds, including how they are updated for inflation over time, may affect eligibility for programs that use the poverty guidelines.”

    Source: US Census, Sept 2018

    The change is being reported as an effort by the Trump administration to make it more difficult to access welfare programs. Last year, the president signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to strictly enforce current work requirements for welfare recipients and propose new stricter requirements that could reduce eligibility.Trump said in December: “Millions of able-bodied, working-age adults continue to collect food stamps without working or even looking for work. Our goal is to move these Americans from dependence to independence, and into a good-paying job and rewarding career.”This isn’t the first time that the government has suggested using chained CPI to bring down the cost of government programs. While Democrats won’t like to hear it, but President Barack Obama proposed switching cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security and other retirement programs to the index in 2014. Obama ultimately abandoned the proposal after outrage from congressional Democrats. Something tells us Trump may not fall victim to that same pressure, however.

    At the beginning of the year, we reported that the U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in the United States found about 40 million live in poverty, 18.5 million in extreme poverty, and 5.3 million live in Third World conditions.

    The U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty warned the U.S. has one of the highest rates of income inequality among Western nations while critiquing the Trump administration for the $1.5 trillion in debt-fueled tax cuts in December 2017 that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and worsened inequality among the middle class and poor.

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      26 Comments

      1. Let’s not exclusively “balance the books” on the backs of the bottom even if some are gaming the system. We certainly cannot forget the banksters that has disproportionate responsibility in the mess. Bailing them out only to have some of the money used in excessive bonuses for a “job well done” and handing GM massive funds to save jobs only to have them use the money to build factories in China needs to be addressed.

      2. Hopefully CUTTING ILLEGALS/fraudsterz…off the tit.

      3. have not has

      4. The hogs at the top will never have enough at the expense of everybody else. Tyranny pays well but not well enough for the fat gluttonous porkers calling the shots.

        • aljamo

          When it comes to ‘gaming the system’ they control the system. It’s their game to play.

          • This vile Gov’t and country really makes me completely sick anymore. This soon to be 3rd hole will FAIL, period, no doubt about it.

      5. This currency is imagined into existence, and out of existence, and given to whomever, at will — especially to corporatists and liberal demographics.

        I don’t think that rich people believe in it.

      6. The country is broke. We can’t support these freeloaders forever, especially all these foreigners coming in and making demands on the system and on we the people. No one owes any of them a damn thing. I’ll support anything to reduce the amount of freeloaders sponging on our tax dollars. Working people find it next to impossible to make it any more.

        • “Freeloaders” are bad, I’m with ya but corruption for personal gain is worse; they cause the problem. Look at “The Big Short” they’re “Too big to fail” & “Too big to jail”

          • Kevin2, I’m not disagreeing about the banksters and what they’ve done and of course they should be held accountable. I’m only talking about common people who get on the programs with no intention of ever getting off them. People who refuse to do for themselves and still expect our hard-earned tax dollars to support them for life. This is only one thing that will be part of our downfall as a nation.

            • Deplorable Renegade

              I believe that the downfall of the nation lay at the feet of those who control it. The leeches at the bottom are a problem but they didn’t eviscerate the manufacturing base and turn Detroit once the manufacturing capital of the world, Motor City into crap.

              Our downfall is the Plutocratic Oligarchy that has hijacked the government and continues the masquerade of a Constitutional Republic that respects the rule of law.

            • Freeloaders are an issue,no question about it, but they’re not the ROOT cause of our decline and never were..
              To find the root cause of our decline one must rewind all the way back to the mid-60’s and continue until the early 90’s and the answers are in plain sight and have been the entire time.

      7. How about Trump redefines unemployment, and inflation back to reality, the way they used to be calculated before the most recent slate of “Presidents” redefined the terms to make their administrations look good. In terms of defining poverty, he should define it based on the cost of purchasing the minimum goods for living, which will be different for different locations in the country. $25k/yr may be OK for Shreveport, LA but be totally inadequate for San Diego, CA. One size does not fit all.

      8. Put in a work requirement(skin in the game) I’m tired of carrying these jokers on my back,can’t carry no more….

        • Jim in VA, great points. Why should the guy working 2 full-time low-paying jobs have less income than the generational-welfare recipients that procreate like crazy? How is that fair to the taxpayer?

          We give some of our life-force and time to earn money, why is it given to people that hate our country and sit on their hind ends?

      9. better now while there’s a chance they can still find assistance from local charities and such while quickly transitioning to self-sufficiency than after the SHTF and the only aid they’ll get is a lead ticket to the hereafter. Hell, they won’t even have the energy left to loot then. Any army, even the lazy, runs on its stomach.

      10. Democrats are only upset because it will cost them voters. Let’s recall Bill Clinton positively eviscerated welfare.
        Positively eviscerated it.
        It’s also this fun poverty trap. It’s too risky to get off of it for McDonalds if you got kids. Yes, I’ve been in this situation before. Know what’s cool? Even own an $800 car that you’re desperately trying to keep running and you don’t qualify. I know of which I speak, like I said, been here done this.
        Everyone lies to get on it because everyone fucking HAS TO, trust me on this one.
        This is the most bullshit program ever. I hate Democrats in large part because they push this thing only to get votes and NEVER BOTHER TO CHECK IF IT ACTUALLY WORKS.
        Works??? Well shit sure it “works” we got elected, right? It “works” as much as we intended it to…

      11. At the beginning of the year, we reported that the U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in the United States found about 40 million live in poverty, 18.5 million in extreme poverty, and 5.3 million live in Third World conditions.

        You’re dramatically underestimating it.

        Here’s the problem though. Below a certain income level it’s all about resources and thus all about in-group preference (racism most primarily) and look what the media’s busy exacerbating. You could argue it’s a “chicken and the egg problem” on the media thing… are they creating it or are they putting on what they know will get them advertising money?

        But it hardly matters.

        Above a certain income range there’s basically no such thing as race (assuming everyone’s above that level). My work looks like the original Star Trek bridge, racially speaking, and whatever. They’re all people.

        Below that range though, everyone hates everyone. Deeply.

        If you ever fall off the wagon you’re going to be shocked how much they hate you just for not having been born into poverty. Despise you, really.

      12. Yeah well I agree with this, we can’t possibly bring in more. Sorry chum.
        Besides, like I said, you think they’re gonna like you? PFFF no.
        Understatement on the “no”. Maybe it’s not their fault but shit it’s not my fault either and getting fucked over in this manner is not high on my list of priorities.

      13. The whole system is very broken.
        The way the government figures things like
        consumer price index, un-employment, inflation
        et al, is horseshit.
        The Democrats twist the systems to award
        benefits to those, that never paid into the system eg.
        illegals, inner city dead beats, and “special” races
        which cheats the people who really need help.
        Democrats since the thirty’s are the ones responsible
        for the sorry state of Democrat Government
        programs.
        Granted there are a lot of cheats, but the real cheats are the Democrats that pass the laws, make the regulations and
        run the bureaus.

      14. Rellik, agreed. Not one of the people on the programs pay any taxes whatsoever. Dems are so disgusting. Did I say I hate Dems? OK, just checking.

      15. This doesn’t take into account people’s addiction costs which is the biggest variable. People who drink smoke cigs weed take drugs gamble hookers and any other feel good habit that costs $ are paying a substantial part of their income to use. It’s the biggest problem that causes poverty and affects kids the most when mom and dad can’t stop. Why is this never brought up when poverty is discussed. The welfare system caters to this crowd and the dems won’t ever say this is the cause of poverty cus they’d have to do something about it. Do you know how much tax $ would be lost by the state. They will never address the real problem of poverty. It’s easier to raise taxes on working people.

      16. Trump said in December: “Millions of able-bodied, working-age adults continue to collect food stamps without working or even looking for work. Our goal is to move these Americans from dependence to independence, and into a good-paying job and rewarding career.”

        …didnt say where the good paying job, or a rewarding career would be…it cant be in the US as those jobs have gone.

        As always a politician putting the horse before the plough – sort out the work situation first, then the welfare problem – idiot orange clown!!

      17. “didnt say where the good paying job, or a rewarding career would be”

        Exactly

        Society functioned smoothly post WWII because there were jobs that the common person could obtain that paid wages that could buy a home, good food and provide an education for their children. The preamble of the US Constitution is the mission statement of the role of government. There is no mention of exporting treasured US industry and with it high wages for the sake of globalist corporations.

        We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

        “Protection of our own labor against the cheaper, ill-paid, half-fed, and pauper labor of Europe, is … a duty which the country owes to its own citizens.”
        Daniel Webster

        “The wealth … independence, and security of a Country, appear to be materially connected with the prosperity of manufactures. Every nation … ought to endeavor to possess within itself all the essentials of national supply. These compromise the means of subsistence, habitation, clothing, and defence.”
        Alexander Hamilton

        “Free trade results in our giving our money … our manufactures and our markets to other nations. … It will bring widespread discontent. It will revolutionize our values.”
        William McKinley

        “Open competition between high-paid American labor and poorly paid European labor will either drive out of existence American industry or lower American wages.”
        William McKinley

      18. California is an expensive state to live in.. A job making $50k a year where I live is considered a good paying job,but in California you’d be eating Ramen noodles and Balogney sammiches on a regular basis..Fact of the matter is,there’s a LOT of people in California that can’t afford to live there..

      19. about time.

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