Nic Dunn
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The war on poverty we never finished
It is as timely as it is necessary for state and federal leaders to advance a new social welfare reform movement that can finally realize the vision of America’s war on poverty as a war for opportunity.
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Nic Dunn Statement for the Record: Welfare Reform at 30: Restoring the Promise of Work and Personal Responsibility in Federal Welfare Programs
The solution to these challenges lies in the already proven model of welfare reform: unleashing state-led innovation that prioritizes pro-work, pro-family reforms that are temporary, targeted, and fiscally responsible.
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Utah has led the nation on upward mobility. Here’s the next step
Securing Utah, and America, as the land of opportunity for future generations requires thinking in aspirational terms. It’s more than simply “tinkering” with existing programs — it’s transforming a system that is well-intentioned, and has helped many families, but has…
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Congress should empower states to fix benefit cliffs
The fear of such cliffs discourages low-income families across the country from taking steps that would otherwise help them gradually move out of poverty.
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Opportunity, not outrage, should define America’s next chapter. Utah can lead the way.
Moving toward a streamlined social welfare system that helps struggling families while better supporting the goal of work and independence, as envisioned in the war on poverty, is grounded in the deeply American principles of work, independence and compassion.
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The Safety Net We’d Build Today: Empowerment Accounts as a State-Led Pilot Concept
An empowerment account would consolidate the funding from multiple of these fragmented programs into a single, streamlined benefit – delivered monthly, tied to work or training, and designed to phase out gradually as earnings rise rather than collapsing at a…
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Nic Dunn written testimony for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Examining the Burden of Federal Benefits Cliffs on Small Businesses and Workers
This shortcoming not only limits the capacity of American families to achieve work-based independence, it also constrains our nation’s economy by adding to workforce challenges employers face.
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Tinker or transform: The new welfare reform movement
America’s social welfare system needs an aspirational vision. A vision that allows for exploration of new ways to conceptualize a social welfare system.
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Utah Housing Reforms that Garner Public Support
As Utah lawmakers head into the legislative interim period, housing affordability will remain a top concern for Utah families, just as it is an ongoing national focus.
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Thirty Years After Welfare Reform, It’s Time for the Next Generation of State-Led Solutions
Congress should act now to ensure that the next phase of reform is once again state-led and work-centered.