The U.S. poverty rate puts a number on the share of households who struggle to make ends meet. The way we measure poverty dates back to the 1960s and provides a starting point for building an effective safety net that lifts people out of poverty.

Cuts to the federal food assistance program SNAP were part of a $1.1 trillion overall cut in the federal budget bill signed into law this summer. The bill’s overall changes to SNAP, including a requirement that some states pay a share of benefit costs for the first time, could lead to more families going hungry.

The American Dream as both idea and ideal, for all its complications, has had an undeniably powerful role in shaping values and aspirations in the U.S. and far beyond its borders. We spoke with faculty and students in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis who represent a wealth of knowledge and perspectives that help us think about American society’s past, present and continuing potential.