We cannot ignore economic inequality.
1.) Seeks to accurately measure and address poverty
President Trump: The Trump administration proposed changing the official government poverty line calculation in a way that would reduce the number of people who are considered poor and deny them access to assistance programs, despite there being no actual change in their circumstances.1 After issuing a rule2 reinstating harsh work requirements for SNAP participants which caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose access to benefits, 3 President Trump boasted about “lifting” millions people off of food stamps during his 2019 State of the Union address.4
Vice President Biden acknowledged the extent of our nation’s income inequality in his 2019 address to the Poor People’s Campaign.5 Biden as indicated his support for increasing access to and support from federal programs for low-income people, including his plan to automatically enroll qualified individuals into Medicaid without a separate application process,6 and promise to increase SNAP benefits for all recipients during the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.7
Sources:
- https://networklobby.org/20200211testimony/
- https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2019-26044.pdf
- https://networklobby.org/news/catholic-social-justice-lobby-president-trumps-snap-rule-is-punitive-and-unjust/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/02/20/have-trumps-policies-lifted-nearly-million-americans-off-food-stamps/
- https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/joe-biden-and-other-candidates-speak-diverse-faith-leaders-activists
- https://joebiden.com/healthcare/
- https://joebiden.com/joe-biden-urges-donald-trump-to-address-hunger-crisis/
2.) Supports a just tax code
President Trump strongly supported the 2017 Republican tax law which lowered the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, and reduced income taxes for taxpayers, causing the country to lose hundreds of billions of dollars in federal revenue.1 These tax cuts disproportionately benefitted the wealthiest people and corporations and have increased economic inequality in the U.S.2
Vice President Biden would reverse the excess Republican tax cut for corporations, reduce incentives for tax evasion and outsourcing, ensure corporations pay their fair share, and end tax subsidies for fossil fuels.3 He would also increase the amount of economic support going to working families, including both renters and homeowners, and small businesses through the tax code in various tax credits.4
Sources:
- https://www.brookings.edu/policy2020/votervital/did-the-2017-tax-cut-the-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-pay-for-itself/
- https://networklobby.org/bus2018/taxpolicy/
- https://joebiden.com/infrastructure-plan/
- https://joebiden.com/housing/
