The SUPPORT Act Will Bankrupt the American Way of Life

The Big Picture

The Coronavirus pandemic has created one of the most significant recessions in modern history. The entire country was shut down, devastating a booming American economy. In response to the high unemployment and economic devastation brought about by the failed shutdowns, the federal government has issued over $4 trillion in the form of stimulus payments, business tax credits, and income substitution, with another $2 trillion recently allocated.

The government intervention during the pandemic has led many Democrats to call for regular government payments. Progressives are using COVID-19 as an excuse for the big-government policies they have long dreamed of implementing.

The Details

Squad member Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced the Sending Unconditional Payments to People Overcoming Resistances to Triumph (SUPPORT) Act, a radical piece of legislation that would provide regular government payments to households when businesses are already struggling to compete with enhanced unemployment benefits.

This massive overhaul would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions to maintain and forever change how Americans put food on the table.

Ilhan Omar’s SUPPORT Act aims to create a permanent welfare state for low to middle-income Americans that would

• Establish the Office of Guaranteed Income Programs (OGIP) to oversee a $2.5 billion grant program that will be made available to eligible entities to cover the costs of delivering recurring cash payments.

• Create a guaranteed income tax credit for qualifying adults of up to $1,200 per month and up to half for dependents under 18.

Why It Matters

The passage of the SUPPORT Act would transform our economy from one based on free-market capitalism to one of government dependence. This extension of emergency funds indefinitely acts as a dangerous precedent to expand government dependence.

The creation of a welfare state for the average American citizen will spell catastrophe for the US economy, as people will find little incentive to work. The number of unemployed Americans will increase tremendously, and many college graduates will wait much longer to find employment.

To pay for the egregiously expensive program, the US government will have to spend hundreds of billions, which will fall on the American taxpayer. This bill is a redistribution program that will only serve to keep people from going back to work. Progressives have, time and time again, railed against the benefits of the capitalist system, and this is their largest attempt to dismantle it.