Michael Hiltzik: Trump proposes to use a sham inflation rate to throw millions off poverty rolls

If there's any field in which the Trump administration excels, it's in coming up with more ways to disadvantage the already disadvantaged in American society. Undermining the healthcare system, tormenting immigrants, throwing people off Medicaid - the list is almost endless.

This week, the administration proposed to redefine "poverty" in a way that could deprive millions of low-income Americans of needed assistance.

The proposal was nestled within a filing Monday by the White House Office of Management and Budget, which seeks comment on whether to change the way inflation is indexed for the purpose of measuring poverty. Among the options, according to the OMB, is changing from the standard Consumer Price Index (CPI) to something known as the Chained Consumer Price Index