Trapped in America's Safety Net

This asset policy makes more sense when you consider its real purpose: not poverty reduction, but making sure that only the neediest and most deserving enroll in these assistance programs. The asset limits are intended to ensure that no one with a fat bank account is receiving aid. They are part of the effort to tightly target these programs, in other words. But once people are in these programs, asset limits become a straitjacket. 12 It’s very expensive to be poor,