New research by two California economists recently highlighted that the United States is doing significantly worse now to protect low-income families from falling into deep poverty than in previous recessions.
The research, cited in a new story from Bloomberg View, “Being Poor Is Getting Scarier in the U.S.,” shows the most recent recession that began in 2008 increased the number of people who have incomes of less than half the federal poverty level at nearly twice the rate of the 1980’s recession.
And because of reductions in work supports and the weakening of the social safety net over the previous 25 years, the U.S. is doing much less to help those families meet their basic needs.
The Bloomberg story contains a number of policy recommendations that Appleseed has advocated for here in Nebraska over the years which would provide working families with a measure of stability.
These include expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and closing our health coverage gap so all Nebraskans can afford health insurance.
Appleseed strongly believes working families are the backbone of our state. In a country as prosperous as ours, we must do more to provide opportunities for all working families to reach stability while contributing to our economies and our communities.
