Washington (February 26, 2026) – Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) called on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to have the Census Bureau add a new definition of poverty to reflect the benefits that American taxpayers provide to those in need in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
Key excerpts are below.
“They need to redefine the poverty level in America and the definition of poverty. And it’s the Census Bureau’s job, and that’s what I talked to the good Secretary Howard Lutnick about. And I talked to him in committee, and he said he’d worked on it, and I thank him for that. And I’m going to chase him like he stole Christmas until he does it. I’m going to chase him like he stole Christmas and Thanksgiving.
“He can do it with a rule or regulation. I’ve introduced a bill. Again, the purpose is not to take any money away from anybody. The purpose of this is to tell the American people the truth: that they’re the most generous people in the world, and they should be proud of that. And this mother—this poor mom of two—she’s not just getting around $17,000 a year. She’s getting almost $65,000 a year, tax-free.
“But the American people get no credit. And you know why? Because there are so many people in the bureaucracy. They want us to think everybody is poor.”
. . .
“Mr. Secretary Lutnick, with all the respect I can muster, please fix this. Please fix it. And I’m going to keep bringing it up until you do. I’ll pass a bill, if I can, but it’s going to be kind of tough. The short way home here is to have the secretary—I don’t mean disrespect—have the secretary do this job.”
Watch Kennedy discuss the Census Bureau’s poverty data with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick here.
Read Kennedy’s op-ed about the Census Bureau’s poverty data in National Review here.
Full text of the Poverty Statistics Enhancement Act is available here.
