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Cash Assistance in the United States

My post this morning about cash assistance prompted me to tot up just how much the federal government pays out each year in cash assistance to those with low incomes. Roughly speaking, here's the answer:

Most, but not all of this is in the form of refundable tax credits, which means you get it regardless of whether you have any taxes to pay. There are, of course, various requirements and limitations attached to this money, the biggest of which is children. If you don't have kids, cash assistance is pretty hard to come by in the United States.

POSTSCRIPT: Note that the final year in this chart is 2022. The figures are estimated by taking 2021 outlays and adding funds in Joe Biden's rescue bill that are targeted to be spent next year.

8 thoughts on “Cash Assistance in the United States

  1. Joseph Harbin

    In other words, peanuts. Cash assistance is 3.3% of the $6 trillion fed budget. For comparison, defense is $715 billion, about 3.5x cash assistance.

    As some guy once said, "Don't tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value."

  2. KawSunflower

    You don't get that help if you don't have children, & j d vance of hillbilly elegy fame thinks that maybe you shouldn't have the right to vote if you are childless.

    Certainly hope that he isn't elected. Maybe trump won't accept his renunciation of previous remarks.

    Different from all that noise from the right about women supposedly having kids because welfare made childbearing so doggone profitable.

    1. KawSunflower

      Forgot to mention that Alexandria, Virginia has just authorized payments of $500 a month to poor families for the next two years.

      1. bmore

        $500 debit cards to 150 families each month for two years. A number of cities are experimenting with guaranteed income programs.

    2. jte21

      Lemme guess -- his Reichsmutterkreuz won't be going to any black or Hispanic women with large families, amirite?

  3. bouncing_b

    Adjusted for inflation, of course, but this should also be adjusted for population. That has grown from about 250M to 330M since 1990, a factor of about 1.3. The doubling of the total is therefore a true increase.

  4. Justin

    Count me as opposed to this being extended / expanded further unless it is paid for by a 75% reduction in defense spending and tax increases on the rich. No one should be having kids anyway.

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