Circumstances

Circumstances when the article was published

The article “The Trump Administration Says Poverty Is Over. They’re Lying.” was published on 28th of July, 2018, in The Huffington Post. The circumstances at the time when the article was published are important, as the article is written as a direct response to these circumstances.

Firstly, the writer mentions a declaration by then-US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (l. 3) and the release of a report by the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) on poverty in the US (l. 5). Ambassador Haley’s declaration that it was ridiculous for the UN to study poverty in the US came as a response to a UN report that blamed poverty in America on politics. She also declared that the report was politically motivated and misleading, refusing to acknowledge its findings.

The CEA report, called “Expanding Work Requirements in Non-Cash Welfare Programs”, was released by the Council of Economic Advisers in July 2018. The report concludes that work requirements should be expanded on programs such as Medicaid and food and housing assistance, as this will discourage welfare recipients to become dependent on  benefits provided by the state. The report also claims that  imposing work requirements on social programs has led to higher employment rates.

The writer interpreted these events as a virtual declaration of the administration’s belief that poverty is not an issue in America. Therefore, she also broadly discusses the social circumstances in the US, namely the poverty situation, as a response to the Trump administration’s welfare reform.

Social circumstances in the US

The welfare system in the US is currently made up of six major programs: Medicaid, Housing Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. These programs are funded by the federal government, while the states administer them and sometimes provide additional funds. To acce...