How Harris’s ‘opportunity economy’ could finally free the US from poverty 

The presidential election has made one thing clear: the candidates have very different ideas about which Americans are at the center of their policies.  

And that matters, especially when it comes to poverty in America and who gets a chance at the American dream. Despite all the talk about economic growth and opportunity, poverty in this country remains a problem. That’s not an accident — it’s a policy choice. 

Vice President Harris talked about building an “opportunity economy” — one that creates pathways to the middle class and lifts up working families. She has championed policies designed to assist low-income workers, particularly women and people of color, by investing in public goods like affordable housing, paid family leave and education.  

Former President Trump continued his focus on tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations — the idea being that these benefits will “trickle down” to the rest of us. We’ve seen this before. The former Trump administration prioritized wealth accumulation for a small slice of Americans, leaving the rest of us to navigate poorly paid jobs with stingy benefits, rising living costs and deepening inequality. 

We see the effects of these policy choices in the numbers.  

The most recent release of poverty numbers by the Census shows that child poverty increased and the gender wage gap widened in 2023. In 2021, we saw a historically low child poverty rate, thanks to the expanded Child Tax Credit that helped families pay for food and rent. But then those gains were erased, and child poverty jumped two years in a row. If an expanded child tax credit had been in place this year, 5.6 million children could have been kept out of poverty.  

In contrast, Trump’s cornerstone legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, slashed corporate tax rates and helped boost profits at companies like Walmart, Verizon and Meta.  

Governing is about making choices. Poverty is a policy choice. Our leaders can determine if a family gets lifted out of poverty or if a company can save money on taxes. Our leaders can determine if more parents can make their children’s lives better or if the American dream of upward mobility dies with their generation. And the candidates we choose up and down the ballot will shape those futures. 

Eliminating poverty requires cash, yes, but it also requires fixing the systems standing in the way of working people. Overcoming poverty isn’t just about having any job; it’s about having jobs with benefits and living wages, along with stable housing and decent health care. We need policies that match the scale and complexity of the problem. Public investments — like those in housing, family leave and child tax credits — aren’t just nice to have. They actually reduce poverty and provide the kind of security that people need to get ahead. 

For parents with young children or workers struggling with cancer, paid leave gives them the time to take care of their health and loved ones, without losing a paycheck or a job. That means better job opportunities, higher pay and a more stable path to the middle class, especially for women. Affordable housing doesn’t just mean a roof over your head — it leads to better health, better education for kids and greater job stability. Direct cash, including through the Child Tax Credit and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, helps families meet their basic needs and promote economic mobility. 

As the richest nation in the world, we have the means to create opportunities for all. If we want a strong, growing economy, we have to make sure the path to the middle class is open to everyone, not just a lucky few. This isn’t a zero-sum game — when more people succeed, the entire country benefits. 

Poverty in America has remained stagnant because we’ve chosen to let it stay the same. Outdated notions of avoiding poverty through a success sequence of work, marriage, and parenthood in the right order only cement policies that let few people thrive. That cannot continue to be the answer. We need bold ideas, and more importantly, we need leaders who have the guts to put those ideas into action.  

At the end of the day, the choices we make now will shape what kind of country we live in — one where opportunity is a reality for all of us, or one where it’s reserved for the few. 

Lelaine Bigelow is executive director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality.