Keith Ellison: Government providing a universal basic income for all Americans 'has a lot of merit'

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., on Wednesday said he supports a new type of welfare proposal that would entail the government paying people a basic salary once technological advancements put Americans out of work.

“I personally do think that the universal basic income — it has a lot of merit,” Ellison, the deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said during a panel discussion in Minneapolis. “As people are displaced, the truth is there’s still plenty of stuff for people to do. I don’t think that universal basic income means people sit around. I think it means they do other things that are necessary, like extra folks in the classroom to help out the teacher.