Congress must tackle child poverty head on and expand the Child Tax Credit
The Census Bureau just released national poverty, income, and insurance data for 2023. It’s important to understand income and health insurance trends, but it’s especially important now since Congress will take up major tax legislation in 2025.
One thing we know for sure is that when the Child Tax Credit (CTC) was expanded in 2021, child poverty decreased by 46% overall, with Black and Hispanic/Latino child poverty falling by 6.3 percentage points in each community, impacting 716,000 Black children and 1.2 million Hispanic children. The new data shows that in 2023, the CTC lifted 2.4 million people above the federal poverty line―while important, falling far short of the 5.4 million lifted above the federal poverty line in 2021 by expanded monthly Child Tax Credit payments that included all children in low-income families.
Many people are facing food and housing insecurity, challenges with high child care costs, and dealing with other hardships that make it harder to make ends meet. Expanding the Child Tax Credit fixes a major flaw in current law: over 18 million children and their families are excluded from the full credit because their parents’ income is too low.
You read that right. Families where a parent can’t work due to illness or being laid off, cannot qualify for the Child Tax Credit at all. And many parents who work at low wages cannot get the full CTC. A single parent earning $15,000 a year and who has two children, will receive less than a family with a parent who has a higher paying job. This is a flaw that does nothing but exacerbate inequity and accelerate the racial wealth gap.
Instead of cutting investments in key programs and services, Congress must prioritize funding for human needs and that means passing an expanded Child Tax Credit that reaches the very poorest households.
The 700,000 deaths edition. The U.S. has now officially surpassed 700,000 COVID-19 deaths. Only about 65 percent of the eligible U.S. population is fully vaccinated. Some states, from the South to the Upper Plains to the Mountain West, are under 50 percent. In August, for the first time, the rate of coronavirus infections among children topped infection rates for adults 18 to 64 and seniors. It is true that new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are all significantly down, and experts say the worst of this current wave brought on by the Delta variant is behind us. But they also warn that we are not out of the woods yet.
It’s been a busy week for a convoy of West Virginians who traveled to Washington, D.C. to make their case to Senator Joe Manchin that the Mountain State needs President Biden’s Build Back Better plan.
The “fun” began last week, when members of the entourage climbed into kayaks to visit Manchin’s yacht, Almost Heaven, which he maintains on the Potomac River and lives in when he is in D.C. As it happened, during one of several trips to Almost Heaven last week, the “kayaktivists” found Manchin at home, and once he learned that some of the kayakers were from West Virginia, he greeted them warmly and engaged in conversation.
If you’ve dined out lately, you may well have seen a “Help Wanted” sign in the window of the restaurant you visited. And you might have noticed that your favorite restaurants, which were open six or seven days a week pre-pandemic, are now often only open four or five days a week. It is no secret that many restaurants have struggled to hire, and retain, staff. But a new study suggests that many restaurants have managed to figure out a way for their business — and their employees – to thrive.
There is no better time than now to lend your voice to the fight to secure a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants! That’s why the brand new episode of the Voices for Human Needs podcast is all about the ongoing efforts of grassroots advocates, allies in Congress, and directly impacted communities across the country to finally pass legislation that protects millions of immigrants who are essential members of our communities.
Amy Jo Hutchison, West Virginia anti-poverty advocate for Rattle the Windows and Fellow at Community Change, said Biden’s push to address issues such as health care and child care leaves much at stake for West Virginians. She pointed out many families are currently using the expanded child tax credit to cover the cost of child care. “It costs more for one child to do private paid childcare here in West Virginia than it does for a year’s tuition at West Virginia University or Marshall University,” Hutchison noted. “So those costs are just staggering.”
The congressional chaos edition. Next week, Congress may take up four measures that could greatly affect both the short- and long-term health of our nation, for better or worse. First there is President Biden’s critically important Build Back Better plan – among many vital items, it would ensure that poor people are not left out of Medicaid and would keep the Child Tax Credit expansions from ending. Next there is important, bipartisan legislation to upgrade America’s physical infrastructure. Then there is the business of keeping the federal government open – and also addressing the thorny issue of the debt ceiling.
There is no better time than now to lend your voice to the fight to secure a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants! That’s why next week’s episode of the Voices for Human Needs podcast is all about the ongoing efforts of grassroots advocates, allies in Congress, and directly impacted communities across the country to finally passing legislation that protects millions of immigrants who are essential members of our communities.
Diane Morgan lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she works as an urban farmer. For many years, a lack of health insurance kept her from receiving an eye exam – which threatened her ability to renew her driver’s license and thus, her livelihood. Lupe Mendoza is a single mom with six kids – five still living at home – in Walla, Walla, Washington. The pandemic wrecked her family’s finances. Both Diane and Lupe stand to benefit from President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, albeit in different ways.
No one had prepared me for motherhood — my own mother abandoned me when I wasn’t even two years old. My child’s father was violently abusive. My life was unstable and I was terrified of having another human being depend on me. Things are so much better now. My son Caleb is starting kindergarten, and he’s the light of my life. We’ve been through so much together, but we’re making it.
Poverty declined from 2019 to 2020 despite soaring unemployment. Here’s why: Congress’ actions to provide COVID relief lifted millions of people out of poverty. The “stimulus” (Economic Impact) payments helped nearly 11.7 million people out of poverty. Expanded unemployment insurance lifted 5.5 million out of poverty. The stimulus payments were new; the expanded unemployment insurance lifted ten times the number of people out of poverty as in 2019 (524,000 were helped in that year). This is powerful evidence that federal actions can provide essential help when people need it most.
Twenty years ago I drove into work at the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, DC and saw the twin towers coming down on a television set just as I entered the building. Our location was a short walk from the U.S. Capitol; we didn’t know what else might happen. A few minutes later the Pentagon was attacked. The Metro shut down as a precaution; we needed to evacuate, and I took as many people as possible to drive to their homes. The streets were gridlocked; it took many hours.
The (mostly) back-to-school edition. Millions of kids are back in school – some for the first time in 18 months. Polling shows parents are happy about this – but also favor safety measures such as mask mandates. Although experts broadly agree students should be in school as opposed to learning virtually, there is much cause for concern. Kids now account for more than one in four COVID-19 cases nationwide. In just the past week, 1,400 schools had to close and go to virtual learning due to COVID-19 outbreaks. In Texas alone, 50,000 K-12 students have tested positive. And 13 employees of Miami-Dade County schools have died.
