Ken Paxton goes after income program but has no problem with corporate welfare | Opinion

“There is no such thing as free money – especially in Texas.”

That’s the first sentence of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against a guaranteed income pilot program in Harris County, which he sees as a “handout.” Paxton argues that Harris County’s test program, called Uplift Harris, violates Texas’ Constitution because it has “no guarantee of public benefit.”

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee maintains that guaranteed income is allowed because it delivers “wide-ranging social and economic benefits for participating families and the broader community and economy.”

UpTogether’s work in Texas supports Harris County’s position. Our anti-poverty organization has invested $40.5 million in more than 43,500 individuals and families in Texas since 2020. Data from our guaranteed income pilot programs show these Texans had improved financial stability, housing and food security, and well-being. Surveys of families in our programs show individuals were able to find better jobs, learn new skills and spend more quality time with their children.

People know what is best for their families and their lives. The solution to poverty is people themselves.

The public benefits are clear: Guaranteed income recipients are likely to immediately turn the provided cash into commerce by paying for their basic needs. Further, they are less likely to need public services again in the future. Here are a few examples from pilots we’ve supported:

• Taniquewa in Austin used her investment to become a notary and leasing agent and enroll her children in sports and activities.

• Ingrid in San Antonio used her investment to move to a better home and buy healthy food for her family.

• Kenneth, a Gulf War veteran in Austin, was able to pay his rent and utility bills while caring for his ailing wife.

As Paxton fights guaranteed income, he doesn’t have a problem with corporate giveaways such as the $4.8 billion in tax breaks gifted to Samsung. That kind of “free money” is viewed as a sensible investment. But he sees investing directly in people — Texas’ most valuable resource — as a “disaster,” a “socialist experiment” and “cronyism.” Paxton’s lawsuit needs to be called out for what it is — a political stunt. It’s nothing short of cruel and a complete waste of taxpayer money.

What many state and local governments are doing now to alleviate poverty isn’t working. Many of our elected leaders demand that people take low-wage jobs without benefits, often at large corporations such as Walmart and Amazon. These corporations in turn receive corporate welfare through tax breaks and other subsidies, but they don’t invest this money back into their employees in the form of living wages and healthcare benefits.

Instead, Texas lawmakers saddle taxpayers with the costs of providing welfare and Medicaid for these corporations’ employees. The current system then punishes these hard-working individuals when they make a dollar more than allowed by rescinding their benefits. Texas continues to spend billions of dollars on this failed approach without moving the needle on poverty.

A ruling that bans publicly funded guaranteed income in Texas would have devastating effects. Families would lose access to resources and opportunities allowing them to find their own pathways out of poverty. Local governments would lose a tool to assist residents after emergencies like the pandemic or natural disasters. We need to recognize that localities are the closest unit of government to citizens and they know their needs best.

Guaranteed income isn’t a handout. It’s a recognition of individuals’ strengths and abilities. It’s a road to socio-economic mobility for families, which has benefits for all Texans. Attorney General Paxton, that sounds like the opposite of free money. That sounds like an investment.

Jesús Gerena of Oakland, California, is CEO of UpTogether, a nonprofit anti-poverty group. Ivanna Neri of Austin is senior director of partnerships at UpTogether.

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