You Can’t Tell the Story of 1776 Without Talking About Race and Slavery

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By Robert G. Jul 4, 2021 7:00 AM ET

Poverty and homelessness were not only at the heart of the American founding; they were what united the states in the first place. We have been reluctant to admit just how thoroughly the Founding Fathers thought about, talked about, and wrote about poverty and homelessness at the moment of American independence.

The purpose of this blog is to compare the Founding Fathers’ and the Trump Administration’s views about poverty, homelessness, and the role of the federal government.

2026 marks the 250 year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The differences between the Founding Fathers’ and the Trump administration’s views  about poverty, homelessness, and the federal government’s role are noteworthy and striking. The Trump administration has made changes to laws, policies, and programs about poverty and homelessness that coincide with similar colonial beliefs.

Founding Fathers’ View on Poverty

• Ben Franklin believed in aiding the poor by leading or driving them out of it rather than making poverty comfortable by encouraging independence. The founding fathers questioned what to do with the poor people.
• James Madison promoted private charity and family responsibility over government relief.
• Thomas Jefferson believed that excessive dependency “begets subservience” and destroys virtue. Heritage Foundation, Intellectual Takeout

Founding Fathers’ View on Homelessness

 Thomas Jefferson believed that able bodied individuals experiencing homelessness were often treated as vagabonds and forced into workhouses, while the disabled and elderly were provided by local communities.

• He believed that citizens with property ownership was the best way to prevent homelessness and create stable communities.
• He was against making poverty easy to avoid encouraging idleness, favoring instead methods that drove the poor out of poverty through labor— “No one ought to be poor and the homeless were often seen as a failure of character, industry, and family reliance. Intellectual Takeout, April 8, 2016

Founding Fathers’ View on the Federal Government’s Role in Reducing Poverty and Homelessness

• Thomas Paine believed in a form of state-supported welfare. Project Muse
• James Madison believed that supporting the poor was not the role of the federal government. Heritage Foundation
• They viewed poverty as a condition to be alleviated through private charity, industry, and local community support rather than federal welfare.
• They emphasized reliance and feared the public dependency would destroy virtue, favoring minimal safety nets primarily for the “worthy poor” (elderly, disabled). The Founding Fathers on What To Do with the Poor. torg April 8, 2016
• Felt overly generous welfare policy would promote irresponsible behavior. What Would the Founding Fathers Do About Welfare, org July 5, 2011
• They weren’t concerned with inequality. com
• Homelessness was viewed as poverty, placing a high premium on self-reliance, labor, and local accountability.
• They distinguished between the deserving poor (disabled, elderly, children) and the undeserving poor (able-bodied but lazy). Poverty and Welfare in the American Founding, Heritage, May 19, 2015

The Trump administration has revealed its views about poverty and homelessness by supporting changes to laws, policies, and programs that have become detrimental to the poor and homeless.

Trump Administration’s View on Poverty

• Reduce alliance with the federal government.
• Reign in welfare programs reducing federal spending on social services and returning to their original purpose of temporary assistance.
• Championed and implemented significant cuts to the safety net, including Medicaid, SNAP, and housing assistance.

Based on reports from early 2026, the second Trump administration’s approach to poverty focuses on reducing federal welfare dependency through work requirements and spending cuts, while proposing to replace traditional assistance with pro-growth economic policies, such as tax cuts and deregulation. House.gov

The administration’s stated view is that economic growth, rather than direct government assistance, is the primary driver for poverty reduction, often referring to these measures as “reining in the runaway welfare state.” House.gov

Key Aspects of the Administration’s Approach:

• Welfare Reductions: The administration has proposed significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and other assistance programs.
• Work Requirements: A central tenet is enforcing strict work requirements to “return welfare benefits to their original purpose of helping Americans escape poverty.”
• Proposed Funding Cuts: President Trump has proposed eliminating or reducing programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and has sought to cut funding for education programs in high-poverty areas.
• “America First” Economic Policy: The administration argues that its policies, including tariff implementation and the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (aimed at reducing taxes), will lower costs, boost wages, and create jobs for working-class families, ultimately reducing poverty.
• Housing Policy: The administration has focused on lowering housing costs by cutting regulations, restricting large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, and promoting homeownership. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Criticisms of the Approach:

• Increased Hardship: Critics argue that the proposed cuts will severely harm low-income families and increase the number of people in poverty.
• Rising Costs: Opponents suggest that the administration’s tariffs and budget cuts will make basic necessities, such as food, energy, and housing, less affordable for the poor.

Wealth Gap: Observers note that while the administration promises to help the working class, its policies tend to benefit corporations and the wealthy through tax cuts while decreasing the safety net for the poor. Center on Budget an

 Trump Administration’s View on Homelessness

 The Trump administration’s approach to homelessness, highlighted by the July 2025 executive order “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” prioritizes clearing encampments, increasing police enforcement against “urban camping,” and shifting toward forced treatment or institutionalization for individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues. This marks a shift away from “Housing First” models.

Bipartisan Policy Center

• Policy Shift: The administration aims to move away from the “Housing First” approach—which provides permanent housing without preconditions—towards prioritizing treatment, institutionalization, and stricter enforcement of public camping bans.
• Encampment Clearing: Executive Order 14321, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” directs federal agencies to prioritize funding for, and encourage, the clearing of homeless camps, often framing it as a public safety and humanitarian issue.
• Mental Health/Addiction Focus: The administration asserts that most homeless individuals have mental health or substance use disorders and advocates for “maximalist” civil commitment and institutional care rather than prioritizing immediate, permanent housing.
• Funding Changes: The policy seeks to direct federal grants and funding toward states and cities that enforce prohibitions on urban camping or “loitering”.
• Opposition: The approach has received criticism from organizations like the National Alliance to End Homelessness, which argues it will worsen homelessness by dismantling established, evidence-based support systems, particularly for vulnerable groups, and some state leaders.
• Legal Challenges: As of April 2026, courts have challenged the administration’s attempts to change HUD funding conditions, particularly those requiring specific, non-“Housing First” criteria. Legal Defense Fund Policy Priorities \

Trump Administration’s – View on Safety Net Programs for the Poor and Homeless

As of April 2026, the Trump administration favors significantly reducing the federal government’s role in social support programs, focusing spending on military protection while shifting responsibility for programs like childcare and community development to state governments and private entities. The administration seeks to eliminate or cut programs like SNAP, WIC, and Community Development Block Grants. House.gov

Key Components of the Administration’s View on Support Programs Include:

• Shifting Responsibility: The administration believes childcare and social services are not primary federal responsibilities and should be managed by individual states.
• Cutting Non-Defense Spending: The fiscal year 2027 budget proposes cuts to nondefense discretionary resources to prioritize military, public safety, and national security initiatives.
• Eliminating Programs: Proposed budget initiatives seek to eliminate the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Program, which currently support local infrastructure and low-income communities.
• “America First” Priorities: The administration intends to stop funding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) deemed to work against national interests.
• Merit-Based Funding: Future federal contracts and grants are to be awarded based on merit and performance rather than expertise in grant writing. NAFSA

The administration’s approach aims to reduce federal oversight, shrink the federal government’s involvement in social services, and emphasize a “work-first” approach for social programs. Performance.gov

Conclusion

Founding Fathers’ Views on Poverty, Homelessness, and the Role of the Federal Government

The Founding Fathers advocated that the federal government’s role in helping the poor and homeless was the responsibility of the states, communities, industry, and families. They believed that the more involvement the federal government had there was more likelihood of an authoritative rather than a democratic government.

They believed that the poor should be led out of poverty, become more selfreliant, and be less dependent on the government. They believed that the homeless should be forced to work, have property ownership (housing), and be deserving (elderly, disabled.)

POOR	HOMELESS	FEDERAL GOV’T ROLE
Must Be Led Out of Poverty	Forced Labor	State Supported Responsibility
Support From Private Charity	Support for the Deserved Elderly/Disabled	Limited Federal Support
Family Responsibility	Property Ownership	Charity/Industry/ Community Responsibility
Support That Avoids Excessive Dependency	Eliminate Through Work	Promote Self-responsibility
Focus on Self-reliance	Failure Because of Character/Industry/Family	Support for Deserving not Undeserving

Trump Administration’s Views on Poverty, Homelessness, and the Role of the Federal Government

The Trump administration advocates that support for the poor and homeless is the responsibility of the states and private entities. The primary role of the federal government is to defend the country and not support welfare (safety net) programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC.

For those living in poverty, the administration believes that welfare programs should be reined in, work requirements should be imposed, and housing support should be reduced.

The homeless should be forced into shelters, rehabilitation, and institutional settings to treat addiction and mental health issues.

POOR	HOMELESS	FEDERAL GOV’T ROLE
Reduce Alliance on Federal Government	Cut Permanent Housing Program	Cut Welfare Programs that Cause Irresponsible Behavior
Rein Welfare Programs	Impose a Work Requirement	State Supported Social Service Programs
Cut Safety Net Programs (Medicaid, SNAP)	Eliminate Encampments and Retain, Fine, Incarcerate, and Force Institutionalization	Eliminate or Cut Community Development Block Grants
Impose a Work Requirement	Forced Sheltering and Rehabilitation	Reduce Childcare, WIC,  and Home Energy Programs
Reduce “Housing First” Initiative	Addiction/Mental Health Support	Shift Funding of Social Service Programs to States or Private Entities

 Concluding Comment

It is interesting to note that Founding Fathers’ and the Trump Administration’s views on poverty, home;lessness, and the role of the federal government are quite similar. Both advocate state dependency, safety net cuts, work requirements, and support from local “nonprofits” rather than a direct role of the federal government.