UBI in America
The likelihood of Universal Basic Income (UBI) becoming a reality in the United States looks promising. The Presidential Election happening on November 3rd will be essential for the continuing momentum for UBI in the United States. Establishing a respectable floor during the pandemic will be essential to restoring the U.S. economy. With Coronavirus running rampant millions have lost their jobs and income. Unemployment is at decade highs and COVID-19 has shown how vulnerable the U.S. economy really is. The economy cannot start at zero, our workers deserve more.
The recently nominated Vice President Kamala Harris sponsored a bill called the Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act that proposes 2000 USD for every month of the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and three months after. It would grant 2000 USD for every citizen over the age of 16 and 2000 USD for dependents (up to 3). With the nomination of Kamala Harris, the bill can hopefully gain some traction among other members of the Senate. With Biden nominating Harris, he shows that he is not against the idea of a UBI during the pandemic. A Biden presidency will be a step in the right direction for the legislature in the years coming.
Support for UBI in Congress has largely been partisan with many Democrats voicing their advocacy for a UBI during the pandemic. Although the closest Congress has gotten to signing a basic income bill was the CARES Act that issued a 1200 USD stimulus check to qualifying individuals. This Bill had cross-party support of some sort. Although support is not completely partisan, Alaska has all-Republican Congressional Representatives and has had a version of UBI since 1982. The Permanent Fund Dividend is paid to all Alaskan citizens no matter age or employment and is funded primarily from oil profits. The program is a huge hit in Alaska and was a common talking point for former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
Popularity for UBI is at an all-time high in the U.S. thanks to former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. UBI never hit the mainstream news in the U.S. until Andrew Yang ran for the Democratic Nomination in 2020. He ignited an interest in many young people early in his campaign. He diagnosed the issues and warned the younger generation that the job market our parents knew would not be the same in the decades to come. He ultimately lost to Joe Biden but Yang’s impact has increased greatly due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He is a correspondent on CNN and recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention.
Support for UBI has grown substantially, especially among young people. According to a poll by The Hill, 55 percent of voters aged 18-34 supported the government having a UBI program. The support generally goes down with age, with only 21 percent of voters aged 65 plus supporting a UBI program.
Essential and frontline workers have kept their industries alive but are constantly putting themselves at risk every day. These workers are commonly younger and low-income. It would make sense that this demographic is in favor of providing themselves with some sort of safety net. Many of those who are 65 years or older are retired and benefit from social systems such as social security. They are not having to face the pandemic every day in order to survive.
The younger generation has also grown up in an age of innovation where technology has made huge strides in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and machinery. Millions of factory jobs are disappearing and large industries such as truck driving are becoming obsolete. Yet while as this is happening the cost of education is skyrocketing but so is the necessity of it.
UBI is imperative to lift this generation out of the hole previous generations have dug for us. The longer the pandemic stretches, the more urgent new legislation will need to be passed to get money into the people’s hands. This election is perhaps the most important step towards securing a future with a universal income. It is up to the younger generation to lead the charge because we are the ones it will affect the most.
More about the author
Joey Dotta - @JDotta13
Las Vegas, Nevada
Advocate for basic income and election reform in America. Student at Lehigh University