Thread by @npr_ed

The COVID-19 relief bill working thru Congress has a sneaky-big idea at the center of it:

A monthly cash benefit that could cut U.S. child poverty nearly IN HALF

Thread (1/10)

Dems want to give families $300 a month for each child under 6, and $250 for older kids.

GOP Sen. Mitt Romney has his own plan: It’s more generous for young kids ($350 a month) but cuts other safety net programs
(2/10)

Wait, why focus on children? Short answer: Poverty is toxic.

Research shows that kids who grow up in poverty are:

-Less likely to finish school
-Less likely to attend college
-More likely to require public assistance
-More likely to engage in criminal activity
(3/10)

And BTW compared to other wealthy nations, the U.S. STINKS at reducing child poverty.

No, really.

We rank 37th among OECD nations — second to last. compareyourcountry.org/social-expendi… (4/10)

More than 10 million U.S. kids lived below the federal poverty line in 2019, according to the Census Bureau.

10... Million... Kids.
(5/10)

Economists say, helping children isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a good investment

In 2015, a committee tasked by Congress to study child poverty did the math:

Cost of doing nothing? About $800 billion

A child benefit plan? Roughly $110 billion.

8-to-1 return.
(6/10)

So... why now? Because of the pandemic, job losses have been especially concentrated among single mothers. And with so many school cafeterias still closed, researchers are seeing alarming levels of child hunger. (7/10)

Some people worry that monthly payments — w/o work requirements — will lead people to work less.

But... the opposite happened in Canada

The program there appears to have encouraged more single moms — and educated married women — INTO the workforce. (8/10)

ALSO lots of countries already do this:

Germany, Sweden, France, Canada, Australia, Belgium…

(Deep breath)

...Luxembourg, South Korea, Ireland, Norway, Austria, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands. (9/10)

Will the U.S. join that list soon?

Hard to say. The Dems’ plan has so far survived the wrangling in Congress.

But the wrangling ain’t over. Stay tuned!
(10/10)

Big thanks to @HilaryHoynes @pamela_herd @bl_hardy @ElaineMaag @cnicolemason @NiskanenCenter and Tim Smeeding for help with @NPRCoryTurner and @anya1anya 's new story npr.org/2021/02/26/970…

Read more here about child poverty and:
Homelessness: npr.org/2020/10/07/920…
Food insecurity: npr.org/2020/09/08/908…
Sen. Romney’s plan: romney.senate.gov/sites/default/…
Dems’ plan: delauro.house.gov/media-center/p…
Research cited: nap.edu/catalog/25246/…
expandthechildtaxcredit.com/the-american-f…