The ranks of the poor and the government programs that assist them swelled during the Obama administration, largely because of the Great Recession. The number of people in poverty jumped 16% between 2008 and 2011, while the Medicaid rolls jumped 23.5% over that time. Food stamp enrollment soared 46% during his term. Just who is elected president matters a great deal for the poor. In the weeks following Election Day, the president and lawmakers will have to deal with large, across-the-board scheduled to take effect in January.

Load Solidworks 2012 Sp5.0 Multilanguage X86 Cracked Password. While certain programs for the poor, such as and, would be protected, other initiatives, including Head Start and housing assistance, could be slashed. Lawmakers, however, will likely try to hammer out a deal that will avoid the automatic cuts, but could still curtail federal spending.

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If this happens, the extent of cuts to anti-poverty programs could depend on which party is in the White House, said Ron Haskins, a senior fellow at Brookings. Obama's track record includes increased federal spending to bolster the poor, particularly in the 2009 Recovery Act. Romney and his running mate,, are calling for reduced federal spending on poverty programs. 'The administration is willing to spend more money than the Republicans,' Haskins said.