Homeless people gather at an encampment in Phoenix
Credit: AP/Ross D. Franklin
The Trump administration has proposed a new change that would overhaul how the government determines the national poverty level in a move that could cost millions of Americans access to welfare programs.
The Office of Management and Budget proposed a regulatory change Monday that would alter the formula for determining the annual poverty level, which the federal government uses to establish whether people qualify for benefits like Medicaid and food stamps, Bloomberg News reports.
The formula is currently based on three times the cost of a minimum food budget and is adjusted each year for inflation. Last year, the poverty level for a family of four was a mere $25,900. In 2016, more than 40 million Americans were considered to be living in poverty based on the current formula, despite the Trump administration’s claim that the war on poverty is “largely over and a success.”
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
