At Detroit rally with Obama, El-Sayed supporters call guaranteed income a good idea

Supporters of Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed voiced support for guaranteed income programs at a campaign rally in Detroit featuring former President Barack Obama, in interviews with voters outside the event.

The rally was held at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, where Obama joined El-Sayed and Michigan Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson, raising hands together on stage.

El-Sayed is seeking to succeed retiring Senator Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat. The event was described as a key moment in the progressive candidate's effort to strengthen ties with the Democratic establishment.

One rallygoer called guaranteed income a good idea, pointing to rising prices and programs being cut and harder to access, and said she hoped El-Sayed would support such programs.

Another voter, Dave, said he supported the idea and that billionaires should be paying for it.

Kiana Montgomery, a publicist, voiced support provided strict parameters are attached. She said there should be rules on exactly what people can spend it on to ensure everybody is trying to uplift the community as a whole, adding that a rising tide lifts all ships and people in need should be supported.

El-Sayed has previously signaled support for direct-cash poverty interventions, including at a 'Guaranteed Income Now' summit in Detroit. His campaign platform, however, focuses primarily on universal healthcare through Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage and expanding existing federal safety net programs.

At the summit, El-Sayed said too many parents are trying to do the impossible: go to school, raise kids and earn a living at the same time. He said he would propose a Wayne County pilot to invest $500 a month in young parents enrolled in community college, giving them one less shift of work a week to be the student and the parent they need to be.

The summit was hosted by the Economic Security Project, an advocacy group founded in 2016 that has helped launch more than 100 guaranteed income pilots nationwide. Such initiatives are typically temporary, no-strings-attached pilots designed to measure the economic and health impacts of direct cash support.

The debate comes as 'Rx Kids', a public-private cash aid initiative for expectant mothers and infants, expands across Detroit and other Michigan cities. The program provides eligible pregnant women with a one-time unconditional $1,500 payment, followed by $500 per month for up to 12 months after birth, and has secured nearly $400 million in combined public and philanthropic funding.

Michigan House Republicans have questioned the initiative's oversight and spending. House Oversight Committee chairman state Representative Jay DeBoyer criticized the lack of spending guardrails, calling unconditional cash a redistribution of wealth, and Republican lawmakers have raised concerns over transparency and administrative costs, noting that the nonprofit administering the program, GiveDirectly, receives tens of millions of dollars in fees.

Proponents point to data from more than 250 cash transfer pilots across 40 states and Washington, D.C., arguing that direct cash transfers can reduce infant poverty and improve health outcomes. Detroit is among more than 100 U.S. municipalities that have experimented with basic-income-style pilots since 2018.