China Eliminated Extreme Poverty; U.S. Policies Deepened It

China’s massive anti-poverty campaign dramatically reshaped its economic landscape. Between 1990 and 2019, it erased extreme poverty nationwide.
The United States has moved in the opposite direction. More than 4 million Americans now live in extreme poverty—a number that reflects systemic neglect.
Although American productivity outperforms much of the world, the distribution of wealth is increasingly lopsided. Gains accrue overwhelmingly to the top earners.
The bottom 10% of Americans earn just 1.8% of national income—less than similar groups in several developing nations. Middle-income earners continue losing ground.
Cuts to Medicaid, nutrition programs, and social benefits, coupled with tariffs that raise prices, have disproportionately harmed low-income households. Inequality is the result of deliberate policy choices.