On Saturday, six presidential candidates gathered to discuss poverty at a forum moderated by Speaker Paul Ryan and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. Hosted by the Kemp Foundation, and sponsored by AEI and several other organizations, the Kemp Forum on Expanding Opportunity offered a clearer window into the candidates’ policy positions than have the GOP debates. It also highlighted many ideas that AEI scholars have studied extensively. Here is a summary:
After an introduction from AEI President Arthur Brooks, Speaker Ryan and Sen. Scott discussed the mixed success of our nation’s current approach to poverty (see testimony from AEI’s Robert Doar on the war on poverty for more) and the need for serious engagement by conservatives in advancing new policy ideas. Ryan described the war on poverty as a “stalemate” — progress on alleviating material hardship, but little success in increasing mobility or addressing the root causes. Too often, on his telling, we have measured success by inputs (e.g. dollars spent; programs created), rather than outcomes achieved.
Governor Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, and Governor Christie spoke on the first panel, with each candidate outlining why he cared about this issue at a personal level. Christie noted how his mother was the daughter of a single mother, lived in poverty, and cared for her two siblings; Carson described his experience growing up poor in Detroit.
A theme running throughout the first discussion was the need to ensure that those closest to struggling Americans are enlisted to help address poverty. Bush suggested that states should be able to take federal funds, such as Head Start funding, and apply them to locally-tailored programs with outcomes measures. Christie noted the differences between Camden and Newark in poverty-fighting strategies, illustrating his point that the federal government too often “swings with a meat axe, not a scalpel.” Another theme, especially among Bush and Christie, was reducing the effective marginal tax rates for low income Americans to always make working more or taking a raise make financial sense.
Policy ideas focused on work, family, and education. Bush outlined the tenets of his welfare reform plan (related: “10 welfare reform lessons” from Robert Doar), which focuses on robust work requirements, an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, devolving more safety net functions to the states through “Right to Rise” grants, consistent income eligibility across programs, promoting marriage (see AEI’s Brad Wilcox for more ideas there), and closing the skills gap. Christie focused on expanding the EITC (see AEI’s Michael Strain for more on this issue), while reducing fraud. (He noted how New Jersey empowered the state treasurer with more authority to ensure that improper payments and fraud were reigned in). Carson described his suspicion of the EITC and other federal programs for low-income Americans, favoring instead a far simpler tax code and repatriating overseas earnings, earmarking 10 percent of those revenues for low income Americans.
On the second panel, Governor Huckabee highlighted the disparity in poverty rates between those raised in single parent families and those raised by two parents. He emphasized that leaders must be honest about the fact that children need two parents. Huckabee also underscored education as being a critical ticket out of poverty (based on his own experience); the need for reform for the criminal justice system (“we lock up the ones we’re mad at rather than the ones we are afraid of”); and the importance of faith-based programs in addressing poverty.
The theme of empowerment ran through the third panel, which featured Governor Kasich and Senator Rubio. Kasich underscored his conviction that in America, everyone should have an opportunity to rise. Rubio highlighted the importance of connecting people to the free enterprise system — a system that, to paraphrase the Senator, is the only one that can make poor people richer without making rich people poorer. Both noted their experiences growing up in families of modest means — Kasich’s father was a mailman, while Rubio’s parents were immigrants and worked low-wage jobs.
With regard to policy, Rubio detailed his “flex fund” proposal, the goal of which is to direct funds to state and local policies and implementers that touch struggling Americans more directly and have a better chance at addressing poverty. Rubio also detailed his education reform proposals, including reforms to the Pell grant system and vocational training, as well as higher education accreditation reform (see AEI’s Andrew Kelly on that point) to spur innovation and new educational offerings.
Kasich discussed his role in the 1996 welfare reform effort, and he detailed initiatives in Ohio that point toward where a Kasich administration might head. These included freezing and evaluating regulations that make business growth more difficult; considering “ban the box” initiatives to provide felons with a better chance to make their case to potential employers; addressing the overuse and abuse of prescription drugs; focusing on early education (see AEI’s Katharine Stevens on that point); and raising the standard of guidance counselors to help struggling students succeed.
Overall, the forum offered the candidates the opportunity to flesh out their policy ideas and broader experience with poverty in some detail. Many of the governors and legislators have devoted substantial time and attention to these issues, and the format allowed that experience to show. It was an important, serious discussion at an important time.
For more, watch the videos below.
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