In a case that can only be described as “reverse Robin Hood,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was indicted on two counts of securities fraud (stealing), a first-degree felony with a punishment of up to 99 years in prison, and who had a “pro-Paxton group” that paid $3 million to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick who presided over Paxton’s impeachment trial, took steps to block Texans existing at or below the poverty line from receiving potentially life-saving funds.
Reminiscent of the sadistic tycoon on “The Simpsons,” Mr. Burns, who took pleasure in using his vast wealth and power to make life nearly impossible for the poor and working class, Paxton recently filed a lawsuit against Harris County’s federally funded guaranteed income pilot program (Uplift Harris) in an attempt to stop the participating 1,928 low-income Harris County families from receiving $500 a month, funds these households already designated to pay rent, keep the lights on and buy food.
The lawsuit falsely claims that Uplift Harris program is illegal under Texas law and in practice. If Paxton is successful in his efforts to Ebenezer Scrooges these families out of $500 a month, it could mean not only days of missed meals and cut off power for those able to maintain their residency status, but many could also face the very real possibility of being evicted, placing entire families on Harris County streets.
In January, Harris County created the Uplift Harris guaranteed income pilot program, joining more than 80 cities and counties across the nation and other countries around the world that have seen success through similar programs. In Texas, San Antonio and Austin ran similar programs starting in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
“I feel for these families whose plans and livelihoods are being caught up in political posturing by Trumpian leaders in Texas.”
lina hildago
“I feel for these families whose plans and livelihoods are being caught up in political posturing by Trumpian leaders in Texas,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “Like with abortion rights and basic gun safety, Texas far-right leaders grab at any opportunity to proclaim their Trumpian rhetoric, and they do it with impunity because they know that the people they’re hurting are not their billionaire donors, but everyday people with limited political power.”
Guaranteed income is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful anti-poverty programs. During the 2020 presidential primaries, one candidate, Andrew Yang, made a guaranteed income a major part of his platform. Long before Yang, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for a guaranteed income as the key to addressing multiple national problems, believing the common root was poverty.
And it’s not only “liberals” who believe guaranteed income programs have merit. Celebrated conservative economist Milton Friedman advocated for the idea of a universal basic income. Moreover, recent data shows that these programs have helped increase employment rates, strengthen families, and improve health outcomes and mental health, according to the Journal of Urban Health.
“The [Paxton] filing reads like a Trumpian manifesto and its logic is nonsensical. Trump himself instituted and touted a program in 2020 that sent checks to individuals beneath a certain income level. Several Texas jurisdictions have carried out similar programs for years without issue,” added Hidalgo.
In 2023, Paxton had a monetary net worth of roughly $10 million, the equivalent of 20,000 Uplift Harris monthly payments of $500.
Uplift Harris participants are slated to receive far less than 20,000 months of payments – 18 to be exact. Those payments were scheduled to begin this month using federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan.
Recipients were notified beginning March 18 and have been counting on receiving these $500 payments for several weeks. Recipients will have full discretion to spend the funds on whatever their family’s most urgent needs are. Uplift Harris recipients were randomly selected from the 10 most impoverished zip codes throughout the county, which make a median annual income of $35,000.
Harris County is experiencing poverty at rates higher than other large counties in Texas and the nation. According to census data, roughly one in six people in Harris County live in poverty, more than the national average and more than all other large counties in Texas. Data from the Kinder Institute shows that roughly two in five Houston residents say they would be unable to pay for a $400 emergency.
