Federal Benefits & Services for People with Low Income

Federal programs intended to help poor and low-income people are of ongoing interest to Congress. The federal government spends billions of dollars annually on a wide range of low-income benefits and services and lawmakers routinely conduct oversight and consider legislation related to these programs. Deliberations typically focus on individual programs or their overarching authorising laws. However, Members and staff also look at low-income policy broadly and have questions about low-income programs and spending in the aggregate. For example, how much does the federal government spend altogether each year on programs specifically intended for low-income people? How has this spending changed over time? How is spending allocated among various categories of low-income benefits and services? These questions may appear straightforward but their answers are complex. This book identifies and discusses federal benefits and services targeted toward low-income populations, focusing on aggregate spending trends.