The U.N. Special Rapporteur has a new report out on extreme poverty and human rights in the United States that is absolute *FIRE* and you should read it undocs.org/A/HRC/38/33/AD…. Some highlights:
“But [the US’] immense wealth and expertise stand in shocking contrast with the conditions in which vast numbers of its citizens live. About 40 million live in poverty, 18.5 million in extreme poverty, and 5.3 million live in Third World conditions of absolute poverty”
On poverty and government decision-making: “There is no magic recipe for eliminating extreme poverty...At the end of the day, however, particularly in a rich country like the United States, the persistence of extreme poverty is a political choice made by those in power.”
On the fallacy that an emphasis on employment alone will eliminate poverty: 
On the effects of so-called “welfare reform”
On policymakers’ willingness to assume the poor are bad actors while simultaneously placing unending faith in corporations that are on the receiving end of massive tax cut windfalls:
On the cruelty of criminalizing homelessness:
On an unequal justice system that criminalizes poverty:
FWIW, this report discusses throughout the extent to which racism and an anti-immigrant bias interacts with poverty and inequality, whether it shows up in decreased support for the safety net, employment discrimination, disparate health outcomes, or mass incarceration
On Puerto Rico:
On how a lack of access to abortion keeps women in poverty:
On the United States’ mistreatment of indigenous peoples:
And finally, recommendations:
As my colleague @jeremyslevin notes in this @TalkPoverty piece, the special rapporteur's report is damning, and makes clear that while these conditions predate Trump, his policies will surely deepen US poverty and inequality talkpoverty.org/2018/06/01/un-…
Read the report, share it, and consider it next time @SpeakerRyan tells you that this country cannot afford to provide people living in this country with food, health care, or housing.
