Category: Poverty

Wealthy Americans Are Spending. People With Less Are Struggling.

Data show a resilient economy. But that largely reflects spending by the rich, while others pull back amid high prices and a weakening labor market.
Food Stamp Benefits May Run Out in November, Officials Warn

If the government shutdown continues, millions of low-income people are at risk of losing access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
More Retirees Are Living on Less, and Losing a Means of Help to Pay for Medicare

The budget bill signed by President Trump suspended an effort to enroll more low-income older Americans in programs that assist them with rising health care costs.
In Coal-Powered West Virginia, Sky-High Energy Costs Strain Residents

As residents’ electricity prices have increased, nearly one out of five customers of the leading utility company in the state is behind on monthly bills.
US Poverty Rate Was Stable in 2024, as Household Income Rose Slightly

As pandemic subsidies disappeared, wages kept workers just ahead of inflation, although gaps have widened for some groups.
Americans’ Most Valuable Asset Isn’t Stocks or a Home. It’s Social Security.

For the vast majority of people, the stream of promised retirement checks is worth more than anything else, our columnist says.
Study Undercuts Idea That Cash Payments to Poor Families Help Child Development

Rigorous new research appears to show that monthly checks intended to help disadvantaged children did little for their well-being, adding a new element to a dispute over expanded government aid.
Bob Geldof Reflects on Live Aid, 40 Years Later

The rock star-turned-activist reflects on the 1985 benefit concert and why it could not happen now.
Tax Cuts Now, Benefit Cuts Later: The Timeline in the Republican Megabill

Republicans deferred some of their most painful spending cuts until after the midterm elections.
Poorest Americans Would Be Hurt By Trump’s Big Bill

Small improvements in taxes are overshadowed by cuts to health insurance and other federal aid, resulting in a package favoring the wealthy.
G.O.P. Senators Want Fewer Cuts to Food Aid, Teeing Up a Fight with the House

Republicans whose constituents rely on nutritional assistance worry that cuts to those programs approved by the House will saddle their states with huge costs and harm low-income children.
Tax Credit Increase Would Exclude Millions of Low-Income Children, Study Finds

The domestic policy bill passed by the House raises the maximum child tax credit to $2,500. But about a third of children would not receive the full credit because their parents have low wages or lack jobs.