Poverty and Homelessness

Will the Trump budget slash programs for the needy?

Abstract

With the economy growing and unemployment falling, the number of people homeless or living in poverty has dropped in recent years. But advocates for the poor warn that wages for lower-skilled positions are still rising slowly. Advocates also worry about the fate of nutrition assistance and other safety-net programs that would be slashed under President Trump’s proposed fiscal 2018 budget. Medicaid, which provides health insurance for the poor, is under threat as well. Although experts say Congress will not approve the president’s budget without significant changes, the final product still may include the deepest cuts to anti-poverty programs in decades. The Trump administration argues that a strengthening economy will lift people out of such programs. Nevertheless, advocates say that without federal help, millions risk homelessness and hunger.

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