Watch a short documentary on the war on poverty (VIDEO).

Paul Ryan Had an Emotional Moment With a Woman on Food Stamps. Did It Change Anything?

Paul Ryan Had an Emotional Moment With a Woman on Food Stamps. Did It Change Anything?

Slate in motion.
May 16 2016 12:36 PM

A Hug From Paul Ryan

Does putting a human face on the “war on poverty” change anything? 

promo

CSPAN

The short documentary above, “A Hug From Paul Ryan,” examines the human costs of the so-called “war on poverty.” The doc—one of five films in the first installment of Take 5: Justice in America, a new series from AMC’s SundanceNow Doc Club—follows Tianna Gaines-Turner, the only person reliant on public assistance to appear at the House Budget Committee’s 2014 “war on poverty” hearings.

Directed by Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce, the film focuses on a touching moment between Gaines-Turner and then–Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan, shared after her hearing appearance, and asks the question: More than a year later, what has changed? Did that moment make a difference?

Advertisement

For more, look for The Gist’s interview with Gaines-Turner, which will be live here at 6 p.m. 

Correction, May 16, 2016: This article originally misstated that “A Hug From Paul Ryan” was the first installment of Take 5: Justice in America. It’s one of five films in the first installment.