Transcript
12:17 Fred Barbash-Moderator:
Hello everyone, and welcome to The Scouting Report-a weekly web chat on matters concerning the President-elect with Brookings and Politico. I'm Fred Barbash--Politico senior editor--and I'll be moderating today's chat. I'd like to welcome Brookings Senior Fellow Rebecca Blank. Rebecca is an expert on social and economic policy, and she is prepared to answer your questions about poverty and opportunity in the United States. Welcome Rebecca.
12:29 Becky Blank:
Thanks Fred. I'm glad to be part of this web chat.
12:29 Fred Barbash-Moderator:
This question came in via email Rebecca: What policy areas are the most important to low-income Americans?
12:30 Becky Blank:
Job availability and decent earnings are most important. Low-income families primarily rely on earnings and employment to make ends meet. High unemployment always hits lower-wage and lower-skilled workers much harder. The most important policy change of the past decade was an expansion in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which supplements wages for low-wage workers in low-income families.
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