In 2021, the Phoenix City Council agreed on a pilot program for 1,000 low-income families that provides them $1,000 a month from taxpayers.
Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Face Criticism by GOP Opposition (Photo: The Ohio Star)
The guaranteed income pilot programs like the other states will be funded by federal emergency money from the American Rescue Plan Act
An estimated 150 guaranteed income pilot programs have come up across the country and now Republican lawmakers are pushing back trying to ban them because they estimate that at least $2.35 billion has been budgeted or spent on income pilot programs in the country.
This year, House Bill 2319 was introduced by Arizona Republican State Rep. Lupe Diaz which would ban guaranteed income pilot programs in the state. The bill was moved over for consideration by the state senate on February 22, 2024.
There were similar bills that would ban income pilot programs and Texas GOP politician is challenging these types of programs in his state.
“This is the epitome of socialism, which guarantees its citizens an income without having to work for it,” said Arizona Republican State Rep. Lupe Diaz
Across the country, many lawmakers are voicing their concerns over the pilot program. Texas State Sen. Paul Bettencourt wrote a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton in January 2024, asking if Texas counties have the authority to enact such a pilot program and if it violates the gift prohibition clause of the Texas Constitution.
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