Teresa Kay Albertson | The Des Moines Register

Kelsey Kremer, kkremer@dmreg.com

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang wants to give an Iowan $1,000 every month for a year to prove a point.

The point: That his plan to guarantee every citizen 18 or older a $1,000 monthly federal payment would boost the individuals and the country. He calls his plan a "Freedom Dividend."

“I’m going to be giving a Freedom Dividend to a person or family in Iowa. That’s $1,000 a month for 12 months out of my own pocket,” Yang, a lawyer and entrepreneur from New York, said. Iowans interested in receiving the cash, or nominating others, can apply at Yang’s website.

The application process will include a telephone interview and a personal visit with Yang. He expects the Iowan designated to receive the cash will be selected in June with payments starting in July.

“We are looking for someone that would be a good illustration of many families facing issues here in Iowa,” Yang said. “Also, someone who’s willing to share their story.”

View | 16 Photos

Photos: Andrew Yang campaigns in Des Moines

He started the giveaway part of his plan in January, after selecting the Fassi family of Goffstown, New Hampshire, to receive the monthly cash. Reports say Charles Fassi lost his job a few years ago, just as his daughter was starting college.

Yang said he expects to facilitate payments to someone in South Carolina and maybe Nevada as well.

“And obviously … these are the first-voting states,” Yang said about his reasons for targeting the four states.

► Candidate tracker: Follow Yang and other candidates in Iowa

Although Yang will personally fund the New Hampshire and Iowa payments, he said he’s discussing the program with about half a dozen philanthropists who may be fund something similar.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

“We actually had one family in Georgia say they would give the Freedom Dividend to a family in South Carolina just because they think it is the right thing to do,” Yang said.

Yang said in New Hampshire, “when everyone meets me there they say, 'hey, you’re the guy giving out the money.'”

Yang said he’s hoping to generate the same kind of name recognition in Iowa. According Iowa Polls in December 2018 and March 2019, Yang is virtually unknown in Iowa, although he has spent significant time campaigning in the state.

Yang's idea for the Freedom Dividend is based on the Universal Basic Income concept promoted by American revolutionary Thomas Paine and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., Yang said. A basic income bill passed the U.S. House twice under President Nixon, Yang tells crowds at his campaign stops.

If he became president, Yang would pay for the program by instituting a new value-added tax, which he says is already instituted in 160 countries, including all of Europe where the average VAT is 20%.

The Freedom Dividend would grow the Iowa economy 15%, Yang claims.

“Iowa has lost 40,000 manual labor jobs and 12,000 retail jobs, and 30% of your malls and stores are closing. Call center jobs and trucking jobs are going away. The biggest truck stop in the country is here in Iowa. What happens when all of the trucking jobs are gone when the trucks are automated?” he asks at his campaign rallies.