Texas' $500 monthly payments suddenly stopped

The Texas Supreme Court agreed to temporarily halt a program that had promised to offer payments of $500 a month for a year and a half to about two thousand Houston residents.

The decision came after the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton, filed an emergency motion with the court for an “injunction” against the program. Paxton argues that the initiative violates the state constitution.

The highest court in Texas granted Paxton's request on Tuesday.

“The Supreme Court today granted an administrative stay in the state's petition … regarding the #UpliftHarris guaranteed income program,” reads a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Regardless of the merits, the order prohibits the county from making payments until further order is issued.”

The context:

The policy in question called for nearly 2,000 people in Harris County — which includes part of Houston — randomly selected by local authorities to receive a $500 monthly check for 18 months as part of an anti-poverty initiative give. Qualified participants earned 200 percent less than the national poverty line.

Announcements were sent out last month to inform those who qualified for the program. The policy, known as Uplift Harris, was funded by federal American Rescue Plan policy. The aim of the program, according to local authorities, was to help combat “economic inequality and poverty.”

What we know:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Harris County, calling the plan unconstitutional.

“Harris County’s guaranteed income system clearly violates the Texas Constitution,” Paxton said in a statement.

Paxton had asked the Texas Supreme Court to issue the preliminary injunction so that a lower court could decide the matter.

Newsweek contacted AG Paxton's office Tuesday for comment.

Views:

Local officials argued that the controls would help Harris County residents fight poverty. About 16 percent of the region's residents live in poverty, a situation they say has been exacerbated by the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus crisis.

“Reducing poverty and supporting families struggling to meet their basic needs should not be a political debate,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a statement in February. “Our community has a higher poverty rate than other communities in Texas and across the country, and we as county leaders have a duty to do everything we can to address it. We will look at how we can fund this program long-term and hopefully help more families in the future.”

What's next:

After the ruling, Rodney Ellis, a Harris County commissioner, suggested that local authorities try to fight for the policy.

“We fought to receive at least one payment, but unfortunately we were unable to process it before the Supreme Court order was issued,” he wrote on X. “We will continue to fight to support these 1,900 families.” They need and deserve it.”

The Supreme Court said it was seeking a response from Harris County.

“The Court requests that Harris County respond to the State’s emergency motion for temporary relief by April 29 at 4:30 p.m. The state’s application for a writ of mandamus and the emergency application for legal protection remain pending before the court,” it said on X.