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The president of the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income tells Fox News Digital that working-class Americans need something simple: cash.
“I think everybody in this country understands we live in a country that’s unaffordable for working people,” Michael D. Tubbs told Fox News Digital.
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income touted in February that more than 60 bills that would implement cash-based policies similar to guaranteed income have been floated in 15 states.
Tubbs also founded the Counties for a Guaranteed Income and Legislators for a Guaranteed Income. He served as mayor of Stockton, Calif., from 2017 to 2021.
The president of the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income told Fox News Digital that working-class Americans need cash under the current economic conditions. (Fox News Digital)
Legislators for a Guaranteed Income reported more than 20 bills in 11 states being proposed to establish some form of statewide guaranteed income program.
The affordability crisis has plagued many Americans amid rising costs of groceries, housing, and healthcare. The House passed legislation — showing a rare display of bipartisanship last month with a 390-9 vote — to deliver policies aimed at growing the supply of affordable housing in the U.S.
“I see the overarching strategy is that we know we’re in the affordability crisis. We know that people are looking for solutions to put money in their pockets. We know people want to be able to afford rent and childcare and food in the U.S.,” Tubbs said.
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Mayors for a Guaranteed Income touted in February that more than 60 bills that would implement cash-based policies similar to guaranteed income have been floated in another 15 states. (Ozan KoseE/AFP via Getty Images)
Guaranteed basic income programs have become a trend across the U.S. in recent years, with more than 100 pilot programs launched since 2018. Mayors for a Guaranteed Income grew into a coalition of over 150 mayors pushing pilot programs, offering low-income participants up to $1,000 a month with no strings attached. The group has pushed pilot programs that have been adopted by municipalities across the country.
Most notably, Cook County, Ill., the second-largest county in the U.S., established a permanent guaranteed basic income program after the success of a previous pilot version. The program launched in 2022 with the aid of federal COVID-19 relief funds.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office on March 3, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Tubbs, a Democrat, wants the federal government to follow suit by providing guaranteed income programs or something similar to provide cash assistance.
“We have wars in Iran, regime change in Venezuela.