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Street Sense Media: A National Group Of Mayors Is Pushing For A Guaranteed Income, But Without Leadership From DC

Street Sense Media, October 15 2020, A National Group Of Mayors Is Pushing For A Guaranteed Income, But Without Leadership From DC

A coalition of city leaders from around the United States have been garnering public support and advocating for a guaranteed income.  A guaranteed income is a monthly cash payment made directly to any citizen who qualifies with no strings attached targeted for low income residents. These same leaders have gathered to call on the support for a guaranteed income at the federal level, however the capital has yet jumped on board with this proposal.

“During COVID-19 it became incredibly clear that a guaranteed income was a lifeline for so many of our residents,” Tubbs said at the virtual event, pointing out that unemployment and other assistance programs can often take two or three months to distribute benefits. “You have to wait, and your bills don’t wait with that waiting period.”

Though the details of a guaranteed income, including how much it is monthly, differ, most current or proposed programs follow the same model as the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED), where an amount of cash, in this case $500, is given to individuals or families monthly. According to Tubbs, the money they receive is spent on necessities, and nearly 50% is spent on food.

“I am able to buy better things, like fruit, which is very high in cost,” one resident, Laura Kidd Plummer, said in a press release from SEED.

The concept of a guaranteed income is picking up speed. In 2016, then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton almost ran on a platform including UBI, though she said later “we couldn’t make the numbers work.” This election cycle, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s campaign was defined by his support of UBI. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, was against the concept in 2017, but recently put out a plan for a guaranteed income of $3,000 annually for parents with children. However, most of the discussion on a national level has examined universal programs, rather than the targeted ones MGI supports.

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