U.S. Sen. Jon Husted caught flak for telling a conservative podcast that people in poverty struggle to navigate the “real world.”
Husted, R-Ohio, appeared on the Sutherland Institute podcast “Defending Ideas” on March 10 to discuss legislation that aims to keep people from abruptly dropping off government benefits. He said the bill will eliminate the benefits cliff, when recipients of food, housing or child care assistance lose aid because of a pay increase.
“People living in poverty are not very experienced at navigating the real world,” Husted said. “I remember talking to one young lady who said, ‘I don’t really know how money works at a grocery store’ because she grew up and has lived all of her adult life using SNAP cards to buy groceries. You literally have to teach people how to budget, how to do all these things.”
Democrats quickly seized on Husted’s comments and accused him of being out of touch.
“If anyone doesn’t know how the ‘real world’ works, it’s Jon Husted,” former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown posted on X.
Husted is running this year to keep the Senate seat he was appointed to last year. He’s poised to face Brown, who lost reelection in 2024, in a race that’s already centered around the economy and pocketbook issues.
Husted’s bill would allow states, including Ohio, to create pilot programs that help people gradually come off government assistance. He contends the current system encourages people to work less so they don’t lose their benefits.
“If I’m going to work more and get less, then what do people do in their microeconomic decisions?” Husted said. “They stay on government benefits, and they don’t work more because they have to take care of themselves. They’re making a rational choice given their situation.”
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Sen. Jon Husted says people in poverty are inexperienced with ‘real world’
Reporting by Haley BeMiller, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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