Myth: The U.S. has wasted over $5 trillion on the war on poverty.



Fact: The U.S. has spent about $700 billion on the war on poverty.







Summary



Since the war on poverty was declared in the early 60s, the U.S. has spent only $700 billion on AFDC and welfare, the two largest welfare programs for the poor by far. The inflated $5 trillion figure includes many middle class entitlement programs like student loans, school lunches, job training, etc. Although this is indeed social spending, it is not spent on the poor, and therefore can't be used to argue against the war on poverty.







Argument



In a 1994 congressional hearing, conservative think-tanker Robert Rector invented one of the catchiest sound bites of the 90s:

"Since the onset of the War on Poverty, the United States has spent over $5.3 trillion on welfare. But during the same period, the official poverty rate has remained virtually unchanged." (1)

APPENDIX A Poverty Rate (7) 1959 22.4% 1960 22.2 < recession year 1961 21.9 1962 21.0 1963 19.5 1964 19.0 < Johnson’s Great Society begins 1965 17.3 1966 14.7 1967 14.2 1968 12.8 1969 12.1 1970 12.6 < recession year 1971 12.5 1972 11.9 1973 11.1 1974 11.2 < recession year 1975 12.3 < recession year 1976 11.8 < individual benefits level off, decline 1977 11.6 1978 11.4 1979 11.7 1980 13.0 < recession year 1981 14.0 < Reagan-era cuts in individual benefits 1982 15.0 < recession year 1983 15.2 1984 14.4 1985 14.0 1986 13.6 1987 13.4 1988 13.0 1989 12.8 1990 13.5 < recession year 1991 14.2 < recession year 1992 14.8 1993 15.1 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, P-60 series.