Whereas the Federal Government funds 126 separate programs that have a stated purpose of fighting poverty, 72 of which provide either cash or in-kind benefits to recipients, 17 of which are food-aid programs, and over 20 of which are housing programs; Whereas means-tested programs such as child-care vouchers, section 8 housing choice vouchers, Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families determine eligibility and allotment of benefits by counting individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption as members of the family unit, thereby excluding non-parent cohabiters’ income from consideration and discouraging cohabiters from marrying for fear of a loss of benefits; Whereas means-tested programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, school meals, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program determine eligibility and allocation of benefits by counting all members living within a household, which discourages single parents from raising children in a two-parent home; Whereas tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit also penalize marriage, as one member of an unmarried couple can receive the full benefit when claiming the couple’s child, but a married couple with the same income may be pushed out of the eligibility range for the full benefit; Whereas Pell Grant and Federal student loan eligibility and allocation is determined through the information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), including the individual’s expected family contribution, which discourages marriage for fear that the combined income of a married couple would result in a smaller financial aid award; Whereas the combined penalty associated with all these programs, should a single parent of two choose to get married, can result in a decrease of approximately $30,000 a year