Government aid helped cut the poverty rate nearly in half, according to a study conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The Census Bureau estimates that last year a record 46 million people lived below the poverty line, and revised figures released this week suggest that the number may in fact be more than that.

But without government programs aimed at helping citizens most in need, the poverty rate would be almost twice that, with more than a quarter of all Americans being classified as poor, according to a new study.