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Articles on US poverty

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Speaker Kevin McCarthy got the House to approve a package that could reduce the Medicaid program’s scale. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Medicaid work requirements would leave more low-income people without health insurance – but this policy is unlikely to pass this time around

Adults insured by Medicaid who are 19 to 55 years old and don’t have children or other dependents would need to spend 80 hours a month doing paid work, job training or community service.
The official child poverty rate is about the same today as in 1967. More Than Words Photography by Alisa Brouwer/Moment Open via Getty Images

1 in 6 US kids are in families below the poverty line

An alternative approach to measuring poverty detected a decline in 2021, amid a surge in government support for low-income families.
Public spending aimed at reducing poverty can lead to deep reductions in child maltreatment and could improve overall child well-being. shih-wei/ E+ via Getty Images

State spending on anti-poverty programs could substantially reduce child abuse and neglect

Public investments in benefit programs could save tens of thousands of children from being victims of child abuse and have important later-life effects on child welfare and overall health.
Many children, especially from low-income communities or communities of color, eat up to half their daily calories in school. SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

Free school meals for all children can improve kids’ health

Expanding free lunch programs could also reduce stigma for students, lower administrative burdens for schools and create jobs for communities.
A demonstration of the #Fightfor15 movement, in February 2017, in front of a New York fast-food restaurant. Spencer Platt/AFP

Fact check US: Would a $15 minimum wage really help workers?

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is a campaign promise by Joe Biden. What do we know about the effectiveness and limitations of this measure?
A food bank set up at the entrance of a church in the Bronx, New York. This neighborhood is one of the most affected by the pandemic: the mortality rate is the highest in the city and the unemployment rate is officially 21%. Spencer Platt/AFP

Has America become poorer under Donald Trump, as Joe Biden claims?

Stunned by the health crisis, the United States is marked by a sharp rise in inequality. Between the beginning and the end of his mandate, Donald Trump will indeed have seen the country become poorer.
The government helps tens of millions of Americans buy groceries. Jeff Greenberg/Getty

How SNAP can help people during hard economic times like these

The food aid program helps low-income families put food on the table and injects money straight into struggling local economies. It will be critical throughout the crisis the coronavirus is stoking.

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