The War on Poverty: 50 Years Later

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Ryan Opening Statement: A Progress Report on the War on Poverty
Ryan Opening Statement:
A Progress Report on the War on Poverty: Lessons from the Frontlines

“Our aim is not only to relieve the symptom of poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it. No single piece of legislation, however, is going to suffice.”
- President Lyndon Johnson, 1964 State of the Union Address

Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty. Since then, Washington has created dozens of programs and spent trillions of dollars. But few people have stopped to ask, “Are they working?”

In “The War on Poverty: 50 Years Later,” the House Budget Committee majority staff starts to answer that question.

There are at least 92 federal programs designed to help lower-income Americans. For instance, there are dozens of education and job-training programs, 17 different food-aid programs, and over 20 housing programs. The federal government spent $799 billion on these programs in fiscal year 2012.

Program Area	# of federal programs	Cost in FY2012
Cash aid	5	$220 billion
Education and job training	28	$94.4 billion
Energy	2	$3.9 billion
Food aid	17	$105 billion
Health care	8	$291.3 billion
Housing	22	$49.6 billion
Social Services	8	$13 billion
Veterans	2	$21.8 billion
TOTALS	92	$799 billion

But rather than provide a roadmap out of poverty, Washington has created a complex web of programs that are often difficult to navigate. Some programs provide critical aid to families in need. Others discourage families from getting ahead. And for many of these programs, we just don’t know. There’s little evidence either way.

So in a spirit of reform, this report hopes to inform the public debate. This important anniversary is an opportunity to review the record in full. And we should seize it.

Section-by-Section Breakdown

Cash Aid
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Number of federal programs: 5
Number of federal agencies involved: 3
- Social Security Administration
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of the Treasury.
Fiscal year 2012 cost: $220 billion

Education and Job Training
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Number of federal programs: 24
- Number of tax expenditures: 4
Number of federal agencies involved: 7
- Department of Education
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Labor
- Corporation for National and Community Service
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Department of the Interior
- Department of the Treasury
Fiscal year 2012 cost: $94.4 billion

Energy
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Number of federal programs: 2
Number of federal agencies involved: 2
- Department of Energy
- Department of Health and Human Services
Fiscal year 2012 cost: $3.9 billion

Food Aid
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Number of federal programs: 17
Number of federal agencies involved: 3
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Homeland Security
Fiscal year 2012 cost: $105 billion

Health Care
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Number of federal programs: 8
Number of federal agencies involved: 1
- Department of Health and Human Services
Fiscal year 2012 cost: $291.3 billion

Housing
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Number of federal programs: 20
Number of tax expenditures: 2
Number of federal agencies involved: 3
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Treasury
Fiscal year 2012 cost: $49.6 billion

Social Services
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Number of federal programs: 8
Number of federal agencies involved: 7
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Appalachian Regional Commission
- Department of Commerce
- Federal Communications Commission
- Department of Transportation
- The Judiciary
- Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia
- Legal Services Corporation
Fiscal year 2012 cost: $13 billion

Veterans
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Number of federal programs: 2
Number of federal agencies involved: 1
- Department of Veterans Affairs
Fiscal year 2012 cost: $21.8 billion