Emily Wales, Fellow

Emily Wales is a Family Economic Security Fellow at the National Women's Law Center, where her work focuses on advocating for policies to support low-income women and families. She is a graduate of William Jewell College and Harvard Law School. Prior to law school, Emily worked in new media at EMILY's List, helping to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. 

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My Take

Poverty at home: How’s Your State Doing?

Posted by Emily Wales, Fellow | Posted on: September 20, 2013 at 02:50 pm

Not in my backyard.

We all know it’s easier to brush off problems that happen to other people, in other places. You might be frustrated about the injustices happening out there, but at least you can go to bed imagining things are okay right here.

NWLC just crunched some more state-by-state poverty data that the U.S. Census Bureau released yesterday, and I can tell you this: Things are not okay right here, wherever you may be.  

The national poverty data released on Tuesday showed that national poverty rates didn’t improve in 2012 and women and children continued to be disproportionately affected by poverty.   Some of the facts in the state-by-state poverty data will also make you cringe:

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Tags: Census Bureau and Census Data, Poverty, SNAP (Food Stamps), Data on Poverty & Income, Poverty & Income Support | Add new comment

One Lesson From Yesterday’s Poverty Numbers: Don’t Play Politics with the Social Safety Net

Posted by
Emily Wales, Fellow
Susanna Birdsong, Fellow
| Posted on: September 18, 2013 at 10:37 am

In 2012, 46.5 million people, including nearly 17.8 million women and 16 million children, were living in poverty, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau yesterday. Numbers that big are often difficult to comprehend, but the message is clear: we have a long way to go to end poverty in America.

Although these new data confirm that the poverty rate remains stubbornly high, it is also important to note that without key safety net programs, the statistics would be far worse. What we know for sure is that programs like Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps (SNAP), and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), lift millions of people out of poverty and reduce hardship for millions more.

SNAP benefits are not counted as income in Census Bureau’s official poverty numbers—but we know they make a real difference to struggling families. For example, the Census Bureau reported today that if SNAP benefits had been counted as income, the 2012 poverty rate would be 1.3 percentage points lower—and four million more people would be above the poverty line.

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Tags: Census Bureau and Census Data, Family Support Programs, Family Support Programs, Poverty, SNAP (Food Stamps), Data on Poverty & Income, Poverty & Income Support | Add new comment

A $40 billion SNAP cut isn’t belt-tightening. It’s life-threatening.

Posted by Emily Wales, Fellow | Posted on: September 16, 2013 at 01:37 pm

Tighten our belts? You have to be kidding.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is expected to introduce a bill that could come to a vote this week, which would cut SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) benefits for 4 to 6 million struggling Americans. SNAP provides critical assistance to millions of people, mostly women and children, to stave off hunger. In 2011, SNAP lifted the incomes of almost 3.9 million people above the poverty line (including 1.1 million women and 1.7 million children). And in a nation where nearly 50 million Americans suffer from food insecurity annually – including 15.8 million children – SNAP benefits are tangible, direct, and life-saving. But they’re already modest, averaging less than $1.40 per person per meal.

And now they’re on the chopping block.

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Tags: Family Support Programs, House of Representatives, Poverty, SNAP (Food Stamps), Poverty & Income Support | 6 comments