Poverty, Policy, and Federal Administrative Discourse: Are Bureaucrats Speaking Equitable Antipoverty Policy Designs into Existence?

Non‐elected , non‐appointed federal employees , referred to as “bureaucrats , ” are among the many policy actors that participate in policy discourse . This article investigates whether bureaucrats’ administrative discourse promotes economic equality , as Dr . Martin Luther King Jr . envisioned . Based on a qualitative analysis of data from congressional testimonies (n = 34) before and after the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work...