It's not just possible, that's how the US government statistics work. Poverty is defined in relation to the distribution of pre-tax, pre-benefits income. So b

It's not just possible, that's how the US government statistics work. Poverty is defined in relation to the distribution of pre-tax, pre-benefits income. So barring a radical change in the distribution of income, neither government anti-poverty programs or general economic growth can reduce poverty by definition. Why was this definition pushed by the same people pushing anti-poverty programs? I really have no idea.