Newsroom

Harris County, TX, April 9, 2024 – Today, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Harris County’s federally funded guaranteed income pilot program. The lawsuit falsely claims that Harris County’s Uplift Harris program is illegal under Texas law and in practice, if he succeeds in getting an injunction, the lawsuit will take away $500 a month from 1,928 low-income Harris County families who are already counting on those dollars to feed their household, pay the rent, and keep the lights on. 

In January, Harris County created the “Uplift Harris” guaranteed income pilot program, joining more than 80 cities and counties across the nation and other countries around the world that have seen success through similar programs. In Texas, San Antonio and Austin ran similar programs starting in 2020 and 2022, respectively. 

“I feel for these families whose plans and livelihoods are being caught up in political posturing by Trumpian leaders in Texas. Like with abortion rights and basic gun safety, Texas far-right leaders grab at any opportunity to proclaim their Trumpian rhetoric, and they do it with impunity because they know that the people they’re hurting are not their billionaire donors, but everyday people with limited political power. The filing reads like a Trumpian manifesto and its logic is nonsensical. Trump himself instituted and touted a program in 2020 that sent checks to individuals beneath a certain income level. Several Texas jurisdictions have carried out similar programs for years without issue,” said Judge Lina Hidalgo.  

Guaranteed income is one of the oldest and most successful anti-poverty programs. Celebrated conservative economist Milton Friedman notably advocated for the idea of a universal basic income. In other jurisdictions, recent data shows that these programs have helped increase employment rates, strengthen families, and improve health outcomes and mental health (Journal of Urban Health, 2023).  

Uplift Harris provides $500 monthly cash payments to eligible families for 18 months beginning this month, using federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan. Recipients were notified beginning March 18th and have been counting on receiving these $500 payments for several weeks. Recipients will have full discretion to spend the funds on whatever their family’s most urgent needs are. Uplift Harris recipients were randomly selected from the 10 most impoverished zip codes throughout the county, which make a median annual income of $35,000. For example, a family of four would have to make less than $60,000 annually and reside in a low-income community. While poverty reduction is one of the most stubborn policy goals, programs like this have proven uniquely successful at decreasing poverty and increasing employment rates in communities around the nation and globe.  

Harris County is experiencing poverty at rates higher than other large counties in Texas state and the nation. According to census data, roughly 1 in 6 people in Harris County live in poverty, more than the national average and more than all other large counties in Texas. Data from the Kinder Institute shows that roughly 2 in 5 Houston residents say they would be unable to pay for a $400 emergency.

###