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C H A P T E R 6
THE WAR ON POVERTY 50 YEARS
LATER: A PROGRESS REPORT
President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an “unconditional war on poverty
in America” on January 8, 1964, and within a few years oversaw the
creation of an array of programs “aimed not only to relieve the symptom of
poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it.” In the 1964 Economic
Report of the President, President Johnson’s Council of Economic Advisers
outlined the many key points of attack: “maintaining high employment,
accelerating economic growth, fighting discrimination, improving regional
economies, rehabilitating urban and rural communities, improving labor
markets, expanding educational opportunities, enlarging job opportunities
for youth, improving the Nation’s health, promoting adult education and
training, and assisting the aged and disabled.” The report ended with the
declaration that, “It is time to renew our faith in the worth and capacity of
all human beings; to recognize that, whatever their past history or present
condition, all kinds of Americans can contribute to their country; and to
allow Government to assume its responsibility for action and leadership in
promoting the general welfare.”
The War on Poverty ushered in a new era of Federal Government
leadership in providing income and nutrition support, access to education,
skills training, health insurance and a myriad of other services to
low-income Americans. During President Johnson’s term, Congress passed
more than a dozen major pieces of legislation that provided such foundational
elements of our current social welfare system as the Civil Rights
Act, the Economic Opportunity Act, the Food Stamp Act, Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, the Manpower Act, Medicare, Medicaid, the
Higher Education Act and the Child Nutrition Act. Since then, many of
these programs have been reformed and updated, ensuring that the modern
safety net assists families when they need it most, while also keeping them
connected to the labor force.
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