The President And Poverty: 1A At The Aspen Ideas Festival

The President And Poverty: 1A At The Aspen Ideas Festival

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When President Donald Trump told an audience in Iowa he didn’t want poor people in Cabinet positions, his remark was met with … applause. An estimated 40 million Americans live in poverty and appealing to their plight was once par for the course in politics. But who in Washington is looking out for poor communities today? And are the wealthy best-suited to design policies and programs to help people rise out of poverty? Our guests are Terrence McCoy, a reporter for The Washington Post; Joan Maya Mazelis, author of “Surviving Poverty: Creating Sustainable Ties Among The Poor;” Michele Gilman, director of the Saul Ewing Civil Advocacy Clinic at University of Baltimore School of Law; and Robert Doar, a fellow in poverty studies at The American Enterprise Institute and former administrator of public assistance programs in New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.