Stimulus Keeping 6 Million Americans Out Of Poverty In 2009, Estimates Show

by Arloc Sherman "Although meant chiefly to help the broad economy, the stimulus plan Congress enacted earlier this year…had the important secondary effect of significantly ameliorating the recession's impact on poverty. "This analysis, which comes one day before the Census Bureau will release updated poverty figures (for 2008), examines seven of the recovery act's provisions — two improvements in unemployment insurance, three tax credits for working families, an increase in food stamps, and a one-time payment for retirees, veterans, and people with disabilities — and finds that they alone are preventing more than 6 million Americans from falling below the poverty line and are reducing the severity of poverty for 33 million more.  The analysis includes state-specific estimates for California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois." View the full statement: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2910 http://www.cbpp.org/files/9-9-09pov2.pdf  16pp.