Thread by @First_Focus

What the Child Tax Credit fight says about America - @DrRichBesser & @DAcevedoGarcia - The Hill bit.ly/3Kxdq1U

#ChildTaxCredit #InvestInKids #CutChildPoverty (1)

On Child Tax Credit expiration:

“no help came this past week because we let the expanded credit expire during an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and with prices rising on everything from groceries to utility bills.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia (2)

“The expanded credit kept at least 3 million children out of poverty every month between July and November, leading to a 30 percent decline in child poverty rates overall.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia

#CutChildPoverty (3)

“The impact of poverty on children — developmental delays, fewer years of educational attainment, mental health effects — can have lifelong repercussions.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia

#ChildPoverty is a policy choice. (4)

“There is more we must do. The permanent increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)… SNAP benefits should cover meal costs for families no matter where they live.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia

#SNAP #CutChildPoverty (5)

“Families who pay taxes but do not have Social Security numbers should also be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, one of our most effective anti-poverty programs.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia

#EITC #CutChildPoverty (6)

“The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour for more than a decade… To reduce poverty and improve health, the minimum wage must become a living wage.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia

#MinimumWage #CutChildPoverty (7)

“Health insurance, paid family and medical leave, affordable child care and safe and secure housing should not be luxuries reserved only for those with means or those living in certain states, but guarantees for every family in this nation.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia (8)

“But whether it takes a month, a year, or a generation, we must keep up the fight. This nation should not stand for even one child living in poverty, and that should start with a permanent and more equitable expansion of the Child Tax Credit.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia (9)

“We can either build on this progress or cast it aside. Our choice will show who we are and what kind of country we want for our children.” - @DrRichBesser @DAcevedoGarcia

Therein is our challenge as a nation. Children are standing at a crossroads. (10)