The Funding Question

The biggest practical objection to UBI is cost. Giving every American adult $1,000 a month would run roughly $3 trillion a year, close to half of all federal spending. That price tag is the first wall any serious proposal hits.

Proponents argue much would be offset by eliminating existing programs, reducing healthcare costs from poverty-related illness, and increasing economic activity from consumer spending. Whether these offsets are realistic or wishful thinking remains intensely debated among economists.