Listen to Indivar “Indi” Dutta-Gupta and Anne Price discuss the current administration’s latest proposal to redefine poverty, how race neutral policies impact people of color, and some big ideas to address poverty and income inequality.

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To learn more about Indi’s work, visit the Georgetown Center on Poverty & Inequality at georgetownpoverty.org and follow him on Twitter.

Indivar “Indi” Dutta-Gupta is the Co-Executive Director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty & Inequality, where he leads work to develop and advance ideas for reducing domestic poverty and economic inequality, with particular attention to gender and racial equity.

Indi joined Anne Price on the podcast to discuss how the current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is attempting to redefine poverty by artificially reducing the poverty line, resulting in millions of working Americans no longer being considered as “poor” or “low income.” This method would take away health coverage, food assistance, and other fundamental assistance from people who are struggling to make ends meet, with the greatest impact on people of color.

Sharing his research, Indi highlighted a few factors that make assistance programs necessary in the United States. One, the economy has never produced the type of jobs it needs on its own – and certainly not with current economic policies. Second, assistance programs are in place to protect and provide a fundamental standard of living, particularly during certain times in people’s lives when they cannot or should not work. Further, many economic security programs are tied to formal employment. This creates additional barriers for people, particularly women of color, working in vital, informal roles, such as caregiving. Indi argues that this work is important to our country as a whole and that everyone should be able to receive support for fundamental needs regardless of formal job classification.

Considering the big and bold ideas that current presidential candidates have proposed to address economic inequality, Indi discussed pathways for racial economic justice, including the need to equalize political power through democracy reforms that support inclusion and equity.