Advocates of guaranteed income are seeking to make pandemic-era cash assistance schemes permanent as federal COVID-19 relief money runs out. Their argument is that unrestricted payments can help people navigate disruptive life events, while local authorities face pressure to find new funding sources for pilot programmes. The issue matters because more than 100 US municipalities have trialled such schemes, but many now risk ending without replacement financing.

A report by the Economic Security Project cites evidence from over 250 cash-payment pilots across 40 states and Washington, DC, and presents direct payments as a viable policy tool. It proposes targeting support at defined transitions, including childbirth, moving home, job loss and re-entry after imprisonment, rather than immediately pursuing nationwide universal payments. Federal American Rescue Plan Act funds had to be obligated by 31 December 2024 and are generally required to be spent by 31 December 2026; Evanston, Illinois, is expanding its scheme with remaining allocated funds.