IL: Poverty & America

What was a primary purpose of the Social Security Act of 1935?

• To establish Medicare and Medicaid.

• To provide retirement benefits and lay the groundwork for unemployment insurance and cash assistance.

• To define the official poverty measure.

• To declare an unconditional war on poverty.

Which of the following programs was initiated as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty"?

• Social Security Act

• Medicare and Medicaid

• Federal Poverty Guidelines

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

What is a common criticism of the official U.S. poverty measure?

• It overestimates the number of people experiencing poverty.

• It is based on an outdated metric and undercounts economic deprivation.

• It accounts for geography and cost of living, making it too complex.

• It only considers government assistance, not earned income.

According to Cornell University Professor Jamila Michener, what percentage of Americans will experience poverty at some point in their lifetime?

• Around 25%

• Less than 10%

• A majority, approaching 60% or higher

• Exactly 37.9 million people

In what year did the number of Americans receiving cash assistance reach its peak of 14 million?

• 1980

• 1990

• 1994

• 2000

What was a key feature of the 1996 Welfare Reform Law?

• It established a universal basic income for all citizens.

• It replaced the 1930s cash assistance program with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

• It removed all federal oversight from state welfare programs.

• It guaranteed lifetime benefits for all recipients.

What does one speaker argue is the primary purpose of the social safety net?

• To ensure people are constantly working to avoid "mooching off the state."

• To provide support to people in times of need.

• To reduce the overall tax burden on citizens.

• To encourage self-reliance without government intervention.

Before the pandemic, approximately how many Americans utilized at least one key safety net program?

• 50 million

• 75 million

• 99 million

• 120 million