rebecca vallas will follow. she worked for the national recession for salsas good claims representatives. for an acronym i can't even pronounce. she worked on disability which is another issue we've heard addressed. she's a very prolific in terms of the tv world in the debates. we don't do screening here. a very different world on that. we are looking forward to hear from her his love and finally william voegeli, senior editor of the claremont review of books and a visiting scholar at claremont mckenna college henry salvatori center. is the author of two books. he should fit in well, and his work has appeared in a wide number of newspapers and peer-reviewed journals across the country. again we expect to have a really lively discussions are just get out of the way and turned over to donna to start us off. >> thank you, michael. oh, shoot. sorry. okay. so what i want to do is i want to start with just a little bit of background from a so because i thinit's important to understand where i come from. i spent, been

rebecca vallas will follow. she is the managing director for poverty to prosperity program at american progress. before that she worked for national organization of social security claimants representatives. acronym i can't even pronounce. >> nobody can. >> but she worked on disability which is another issue we've already heard addressed here. she's very prolific in terms of tv world and debates on there. we don't do screaming here at very different world on that. so, so we, we're looking forward to have her as well. finally, bill voegeli. he is a from the claremont review of books. author of two books. america's limitless welfare state and the pity party. mean-spirited diatribe against liberal compassion. he should fit in well here at the auditorium and his works appeared in wide number of newspapers and peer reviewed journals across the country. defend we expect to have a really lively discussion here. i will get out of the way an turn it over to donna to start it off with. >> thank you, michael. okay. shoot,

vallas: good morning. we are approaching lunchtime, so maybe it is good afternoon. my name is rebecca bval -- vallas, and i will say that it has been fun listening this morning, because there has been a lot of bipartisan participation. -- i findo from here it incredibly useful having a conversation about poverty more .roadly to start with a realistic snapshot of who is poor in -poor" itwho is "sub america, those living below poverty in this country, one in five children by that measure living in poverty, but less often discussed is how that poverty measure does not capture the larger share of individual in this country -- of individuals in this country meeting that, because it is set at such an austere level. $24,000 a year for two parents with two children at the 2014 level, and when you look at what is the cost of living, what it takes to maintain an adequate but basic standard of living, we are talking about that family of four meeting $50,000 at least to make their -- to meet their you findds, and what is about one in three americans, struggling to make ends meet. this is consiste

my name is rebecca vallas, and i will say that it has been fun listening this morning, because there has been a lot of bipartisan participation. i'm hoping to continue that as we continue about where we go from here. i find it incredibly useful having a conversation about poverty more broadly. to start with a realistic snapshot of who is poor in america, who is "sub-poor" it -- whoare "in the poor." and fivepoor." one showed and by that measure living in poverty. how the official poverty measure doesn't capture the much larger share of individuals in this country who are struggling to make ends meet. that is because that poverty measure is set at such an austere level. when you look at what experts considered to be the cost of living, what it takes to maintain a basic standard of living, we are talking that family of four needing $50,000 at least to meet their basic needs. twice is what we are currently measuring. 33.4% three americans, are struggling to make ends , meet. this is consistent with the federal reserve board. when you ask people if they are having trouble making ends mee