“The government spends a lot of money on safety net programs.” About 10 percent of the federal budget in 2015 was aimed at keeping some 38 million low- and moderate-income working families out of poverty. Such funding includes unemployment insurance and Supplemental Security Income for the elderly or disabled poor. It also includes SNAP (food stamps), school meals, low-income housing assistance, child care assistance, help paying home energy bills, and aid for abused and neglected children. In 2014, the poverty rate was 15 percent; without safety net programs, experts estimate the rate would
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