Politics
Spotlight is a nonpartisan website and does not endorse particular candidates or policies. That being said, understanding the political landscape and systems is essential in evaluating and addressing poverty in America. Further, Spotlight works to lift up poverty issues that may be overlooked in political campaigns and where candidates stand on these topics.This section of the Spotlight website gathers the latest research, news, and opinion around politics, poverty, and opportunity.
Related News
Medicaid Expansion in MS Appears Dead For Now
“JACKSON, Miss.—Mississippi will not expand Medicaid this year because of federal Medicaid funding cuts under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a top Republican in the Mississippi Senate says. “There is no expansion,” Mississippi Senate Medicaid Chairman Sen....
For Those Who Help The Poor, 2025 Goes Down As A Year Of Chaos
LOGAN, Ohio – Before dawn, in a cold, blustery drizzle, a line forms outside a small, squat building on an open stretch of road on the outskirts of town. “My heater quit working in my car,” Scott Skinner says good-naturedly to the next man in line. “Man, what kinda luck am I having.” The building is called “The Market” because it has a food pantry, but Skinner and the others are here to sign up for heating assistance. He’s been calling for a month to get an appointment with no luck, so he showed up an hour ago to snag […]
Medicaid Plans Step Up Outreach Efforts Ahead of Coming Changes
State Senate Group Vets Ideas For Improving Health of Women and Children in MS
“Advocates and state agency directors pitched recommendations to Mississippi lawmakers Tuesday on how to prioritize legislative funds for the health and well-being of women, children and families during the upcoming legislative session.
Billions in Rural Health Care Funding Hinge on States Passing Trump-Backed Policies
“The Trump administration offered states a deal: pledge to enact White House-favored policies for a chance to win a bigger share of the $50 billion aimed at transforming the nation’s struggling rural health care systems.
Can Opportunity Zones Ever Meet Their Poverty-Fighting Promise?
“Douglas MacArthur famously told us that “old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” When it comes to urban reform schemes, that adage is about half right. They don’t die, but they don’t fade away either. They just change their names.
When Medicaid Cuts Hit, Urban Hospitals Could Be Hit Hardest
When The Employed Are Pushed Into Homelessness
“In Atlanta, journalist Brian Goldstone introduces us to the intersection of Memorial Drive and Candler Road – the threshold of two neighborhoods. On one side: a liberal arts college and cafés. “And you cross over, and it’s dialysis centers, it’s liquor stores, it’s payday lenders,” he said. “Other areas of Atlanta are booming, but this area sort of stayed stuck in this period of decline. … The poor are out here on these peripheral areas.”
A North Carolina Medicaid Program Worked on Every Level—And Got Killed
“In early 2023, Rebecca Smith was two months sober and looking for help. Her addiction to methamphetamines had cost her custody of her children, and she’d moved back home to Graham County, North Carolina, to rebuild her life. High cholesterol and heart problems ran in her family, and during her struggle with addiction she had been diagnosed with diabetes. She knew that staying sober would require taking better care of herself.
