by Cara Brumfield, Funke Aderonmu, Kali Grant, Aileen Carr, Indi Dutta-Gupta, Isabella Camacho-Craft, Doug Steiger and Peter Edelman | Feb 28, 2019 | Brief, Report
This analysis finds that block grants (characterized by capped amounts of federal funding to states and other entities paired with expansive flexibility for how the funds are spent) are fundamentally ill-equipped to support basic living standards compared to other structures, especially those that meaningfully guarantee access to adequate benefits or services. Specifically, block grants struggle to respond to need, can be less accountable to program goals and to the people who participate in the program, and can exacerbate inequities–especially racial inequities.
by Kali Grant, Funke Aderonmu, Sophie Khan, Kaustubh Chahande, Casey Goldvale, Indi Dutta-Gupta, Aileen Carr and Doug Steiger | Jan 31, 2019 | Brief, Fact Sheet, Working Paper
This working paper outlines the ramifications of taking away Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and housing assistance from those who do not document meeting new work and community engagement requirements. The paper underscores how proposals that take away basic assistance from people who don’t meet work requirements are ill-informed, ineffective, inefficient, and inequitable, while alternative policies would produce far better outcomes.
