Questions about Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was the Moynihan Report and why was it controversial?
The Moynihan Report, formally titled The Negro Family: The Case For National Action, was published in 1965 by Daniel Patrick Moynihan while he served as Assistant Secretary of Labor. It argued that the structure of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program penalized intact families, effectively paying poor women to remove their husbands from the household. Critics on the left, using a phrase coined by psychologist William Ryan, accused Moynihan of "blaming the victim" rather than addressing systemic racism.
What was Daniel Patrick Moynihan's role in the Indonesian invasion of East Timor?
As United States Ambassador to the United Nations in 1975, Moynihan worked to ensure the UN Security Council took no effective action against Indonesia's invasion of East Timor. He acknowledged in his own memoir that the State Department wanted the UN to prove "utterly ineffective" in its response, that the task was given to him, and that he carried it out with success. The invasion caused the deaths of between 100,000 and 200,000 Timorese. He later described the policy he had defended as "shameless."
What was the largest check in banking history that Moynihan presented?
On the 18th of February, 1974, Moynihan presented India's Secretary of Economic Affairs with a check for 16,640,000,000 rupees, then equivalent to $2,046,700,000, as part of a debt settlement between the United States and India. The transaction was logged in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest check ever paid by a single instrument.
How long did Daniel Patrick Moynihan serve in the United States Senate?
Moynihan served in the United States Senate from New York from 1977 until 2001, a span of nearly 24 years. He was tied with Jacob K. Javits as the longest-serving senator from New York until both were surpassed by Chuck Schumer in 2023.
What was Daniel Patrick Moynihan's Family Assistance Plan?
The Family Assistance Plan was Moynihan's proposal during the Nixon administration for a guaranteed minimum income, which he described as a negative income tax, for families that met work requirements or demonstrated they were actively seeking work. It stalled in the Senate Finance Committee but prefigured the later Supplemental Security Income program. Moynihan had discussed the broader concept of a Basic Income Guarantee with Russell B. Long and Louis O. Kelso while formulating it.
What is the Moynihan Train Hall and what is its connection to Daniel Patrick Moynihan?
The Moynihan Train Hall opened in January 2021 as an expansion of New York Penn Station, occupying the renovated James Farley Post Office building and serving Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak passengers. Moynihan had championed the project for years during his Senate tenure, securing federal approvals and financing. He had shined shoes in the original Pennsylvania Station as a boy during the Great Depression.