The United States, one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, is experiencing a worrying shift from prosperity for all to precarity for many. Despite boasting immense economic output and technological innovation, the number of Americans living on less than $3 a day has tripled over the last 35 years to over four million people.
This worsening poverty is not a sign of economic weakness but a direct consequence of policy choices. Policy decisions—including tax laws, cuts to social programs, and tariffs that affect consumer prices—have systematically directed national gains to the top income brackets.
As a result, the income gap has widened to a shocking degree. The poorest 10% of Americans now receive only 1.8% of the total national income, a lower share than low-income earners in nations like Nigeria or Bangladesh, revealing a deep structural flaw in American wealth distribution.