COVID relief bill could permanently alter social safety net
3 years, 9 months ago

COVID relief bill could permanently alter social safety net

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package is being hailed by Democrats and progressive policy advocates as a generational expansion of the social safety net, providing food and housing assistance, greater access to health care and direct aid to families in what amounts to a broad-based attack on the cycle of poverty. “The scope is both impressive and much needed.” Several aspects seem targeted at restructuring the country’s social safety net and actually lifting people out of poverty. “Getting something out of the code is often times harder than getting something into the code,” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., told reporters Tuesday, referring to the relief bill’s expansion of the child tax credit. He added, “What we did is unlikely to go away.” At this point, the child tax credit expansion would expire at the end of the year without some sort of congressional intervention.

Poverty Tax Credit Child Families Expansion Democrats Biden Bill Child Poverty Package Social Safety Net  poverty  social  expansion  policy  covid  child  safety  program  alter  permanently  bill  credit  relief  net  families  tax  package

History of this topic

Federal Budget 2024: Winners and Losers
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Federal Budget 2024: Winners and Losers

ABC  

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has handed down the government's third budget, with a $300 power bill boon for every Australian household, but the purse strings kept tight on other measures. Winner: Housing The federal government will direct $1 billion of its National Housing Infrastructure Facility towards crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence and for youth. They …

US Child Tax Credit 2024: Who is eligible for the benefit?
11 months ago

US Child Tax Credit 2024: Who is eligible for the benefit?

Hindustan Times  

The House introduced expansions to the Child Tax Credit 2024 scheme by passing a bill last week. What does the Child Tax Credit 2024 expansion mean? The child should not file a joint return with their partner for the tax year OR file it only to claim a refund of withheld income tax/ estimated tax paid. Lower-income families will Tax …

House passes bill to enhance child tax credit, revive key tax breaks for businesses
11 months, 1 week ago

House passes bill to enhance child tax credit, revive key tax breaks for businesses

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The House accomplished something unusual Wednesday in passing with broad, bipartisan support a roughly $79 billion tax cut package that would enhance the child tax credit for millions of lower-income families and boost three tax breaks for businesses, a combination that gives lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle coveted policy wins. He spent part of the …

White House wants $56 billion from Congress for disaster relief, child care and high-speed Internet
1 year, 2 months ago

White House wants $56 billion from Congress for disaster relief, child care and high-speed Internet

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The White House is asking lawmakers for nearly $56 billion in emergency spending to help the government respond to natural disasters, shore up funding for child care centers and keep high-speed internet running for low-income families — outlining President Joe Biden’s domestic priorities as Congress simultaneously weighs sending billions for conflicts abroad. The package also includes $16 billion …

A pediatrician's view on child poverty rates: 'I need policymakers to do their job'
1 year, 3 months ago

A pediatrician's view on child poverty rates: 'I need policymakers to do their job'

NPR  

A pediatrician's view on child poverty rates: 'I need policymakers to do their job' Enlarge this image toggle caption Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF Child poverty in the U.S. has more than doubled in a year, and we have a pretty clear idea what drove it: Congress let the expanded child tax credit expire. The …

Child poverty in the US more than doubled after pandemic aid expired
1 year, 3 months ago

Child poverty in the US more than doubled after pandemic aid expired

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Poverty among children surged from 5.2 per cent to 12.4 per cent, marking the …

Child poverty in the US jumped and income declined in 2022 as coronavirus pandemic benefits ended
1 year, 3 months ago

Child poverty in the US jumped and income declined in 2022 as coronavirus pandemic benefits ended

Associated Press  

Child poverty in the United States more than doubled and median household income declined last year when coronavirus pandemic-era government benefits expired and inflation kept rising, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, income inequality increased when using after-tax income, another result of the end of pandemic-era tax credits, according to Census Bureau reports on income, …

How raising the nation’s debt limit could reduce spending of some coronavirus relief funds
1 year, 7 months ago

How raising the nation’s debt limit could reduce spending of some coronavirus relief funds

Associated Press  

With the pandemic officially over, leftover coronavirus relief money for vaccines, public health initiatives and other programs has become a target as negotiators try to reach a budget deal to raise the nation’s debt limit. HOW MUCH IS AT STAKE The Congressional Budget Office estimates that halting the use of unobligated pandemic relief funds would result in a net spending …

Column: Anti-poverty programs work. Why are Democrats letting them wither?
1 year, 10 months ago

Column: Anti-poverty programs work. Why are Democrats letting them wither?

LA Times  

It’s an article of faith down our way that Democrats are good at enacting programs that help ordinary Americans and the vulnerable but are atrocious at communicating their ideals and successes to the public, while Republicans care only about serving the rich but are superb at fostering the misimpression that they’re servants of the masses. Starting last year and culminating …

You’re not getting child tax credit checks anymore. Here’s why
2 years ago

You’re not getting child tax credit checks anymore. Here’s why

LA Times  

Christina Darling plays with her sons Kayden, 10, left, and Brennan, 4, at home in Nashua, N.H., in 2021. Darling and her family had qualified for the expanded child tax credit, part of President Biden’s $1.9-trillion coronavirus relief package. “It didn’t have enough time to just root in the way you need it to,” said DeLauro, who advocated for an …

Column: The Child Tax Credit is our greatest antipoverty program. Why is Congress letting it wither?
2 years, 1 month ago

Column: The Child Tax Credit is our greatest antipoverty program. Why is Congress letting it wither?

LA Times  

Sen. Joe Manchin III wants to limit the Child Tax Credit by imposing work requirements, even though his state is one of the most poverty-bound in the nation. Here are some documented truths about the federal Child Tax Credit: — The enhanced credit, enacted in March 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan, the government’s pandemic relief package, reduced …

Editorial: Congress can help struggling families by reviving the expanded child tax credit
2 years, 1 month ago

Editorial: Congress can help struggling families by reviving the expanded child tax credit

LA Times  

For a brief, six-month period last year, something life-changing happened for tens of millions of American families: They started receiving automatic monthly payments of as much as $300 per child to use for whatever they needed. But Congress allowed the payments to expire in January, ending an expanded child tax credit that slashed child poverty and could have been a …

‘Catastrophe’: Warning that benefits cut would plunge 200,000 more children into poverty
2 years, 3 months ago

‘Catastrophe’: Warning that benefits cut would plunge 200,000 more children into poverty

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The UK already faces a child poverty catastrophe, and the government will ruin the lives …

Census: Inequality last year grew, but child poverty dropped
2 years, 3 months ago

Census: Inequality last year grew, but child poverty dropped

Associated Press  

Income inequality in the U.S. increased last year for the first time in more than a decade, but childhood poverty was cut almost in half due to expansion of the federal government’s child tax credit and stimulus payments made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new survey results released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The time period …

Poverty and uninsured rates drop, thanks to pandemic-era policies
2 years, 3 months ago

Poverty and uninsured rates drop, thanks to pandemic-era policies

NPR  

Poverty and uninsured rates drop, thanks to pandemic-era policies Enlarge this image toggle caption Mario Tama/Getty Images Mario Tama/Getty Images The Census Bureau released some heartening news Tuesday. Uninsured rate approaches record lows, thanks to Medicaid The census numbers show 8.3% of Americans – or 27.2 million people – did not have any health insurance in 2021. "The reason the …

In Biden’s big bill: Climate, health care, deficit reduction
2 years, 4 months ago

In Biden’s big bill: Climate, health care, deficit reduction

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The biggest investment ever in the U.S. to fight climate change. Republicans deride the 730-page bill as big government overreach and point particular criticism at its $80 billion investment in the IRS to hire new employees and go after tax scofflaws. Here’s what’s in the estimated $740 billion package — made up of $440 billion in new spending …

Democrats’ big package: What remains in and what’s out?
2 years, 5 months ago

Democrats’ big package: What remains in and what’s out?

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — It’s nowhere near the $4 trillion proposal President Joe Biden first launched to rebuild America’s public infrastructure and family support systems but the compromise package of inflation-fighting health care, climate change and deficit reduction strategies appears on track toward Senate votes this weekend. What’s in, and out, of the Democrats’ “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022” as it stands …

What’s in, and out, of Democrats’ inflation-fighting package
2 years, 5 months ago

What’s in, and out, of Democrats’ inflation-fighting package

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — What started as a $4 trillion effort during President Joe Biden’s first months in office to rebuild America’s public infrastructure and family support systems has ended up a much slimmer, but not unsubstantial, compromise package of inflation-fighting health care, climate change and deficit reduction strategies that appears headed toward quick votes in Congress. Lawmakers are poring over the …

A Year After Biden’s American Rescue Plan, Kids Are Falling Back Into Poverty. Congress Is To Blame.
2 years, 9 months ago

A Year After Biden’s American Rescue Plan, Kids Are Falling Back Into Poverty. Congress Is To Blame.

Huff Post  

During the darkest days of the pandemic, Congress stepped up and provided people with the stimulus checks they needed to get by — and that our economy needed to stay afloat. Last March, President Joe Biden and Democrats expanded the wildly popular child tax credit program, providing working families with up to $3,600 annually for every kid and transforming the …

Federal COVID-19 Relief Saved Child Care For Millions, Report Says
2 years, 9 months ago

Federal COVID-19 Relief Saved Child Care For Millions, Report Says

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING If you are in a working family and have managed to hold on to your child care during the past two years, you may have the federal government to thank, according to a new report. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images The report’s calculations draw on data from two independent groups that focus on early childhood: the National …

Column: The blockade of Build Back Better means millions more children condemned to poverty
2 years, 10 months ago

Column: The blockade of Build Back Better means millions more children condemned to poverty

LA Times  

Sen. Joe Manchin III is blocking key anti-poverty programs even though his state is one of the poorest in the nation. In its first six months, the expanded Child Tax Credit has shored up family finances amidst the continuing crisis, reduced child poverty and food insufficiency, increased families’ ability to meet their basic needs. “The weight of the evidence is …

Study: Child poverty rising after tax credit expires
2 years, 10 months ago

Study: Child poverty rising after tax credit expires

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The number of children in America living in poverty jumped dramatically after just one month without the expanded child tax credit payments, according to a new study. As part of Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package last year, the existing child tax credit program was massively reshaped, boosting the amount of the payments, greatly expanding the pool of …

Child Poverty Spiked After Tax Credit Expired, Early Research Suggests
2 years, 10 months ago

Child Poverty Spiked After Tax Credit Expired, Early Research Suggests

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING WASHINGTON – Low-income parents faced more hardship in January after Congress failed to continue the monthly child tax credit payments that slashed child poverty last year. “The monthly child poverty rate increased from 12.1% in December 2021 to 17% in January 2022, the highest rate since the end of 2020,” the Columbia researchers said in their latest …

Goodbye ‘godsend’: Expiration of child tax credits hits home
2 years, 11 months ago

Goodbye ‘godsend’: Expiration of child tax credits hits home

LA Times  

Hairdresser Chelsea Woody stands outside her car at a grocery store in Charleston, W.Va. For the first time in half a year, families on Friday went without a monthly deposit from the child tax credit — a program that was intended to be part of President Biden’s legacy but has emerged instead as a flash point over who is worthy …

Op-Ed: One huge cost of letting the expanded child tax credit die? Harm to developing brains
2 years, 11 months ago

Op-Ed: One huge cost of letting the expanded child tax credit die? Harm to developing brains

LA Times  

Rep. Maxine Waters, left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hold a news conference Aug. 12 at the Ethel Bradley Early Education Center in Los Angeles to discuss the importance of the expanded child tax credit. These payments reached 27 million children from families with taxable earnings too low to benefit from the annual tax refund provided by the previous child …

COVID-expanded child tax credit benefit nears lapse
3 years ago

COVID-expanded child tax credit benefit nears lapse

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — It’s one of the most far-reaching of all the federal aid programs launched during the COVID-19 pandemic — up to $300 per child going directly into the bank accounts of families on the 15th of every month. The swift launch, and potentially quick end, to the bolstered child tax credit highlights the risks of enacting sweeping social policy …

Here Is When The Build Back Better Policies Would Kick In
3 years, 1 month ago

Here Is When The Build Back Better Policies Would Kick In

Huff Post  

Child Allowance: Monthly cash payments to most parents via the expanded child tax credit would continue under the bill. Affordable Care Act Improvements: The American Rescue Plan temporarily bolstered the financial assistance available to people buying private insurance on their own, through “Obamacare” exchanges, by making more people eligible for subsidies and offering bigger subsidies to people already getting them. …

What’s in, and what’s out, as House nears vote on Biden bill
3 years, 2 months ago

What’s in, and what’s out, as House nears vote on Biden bill

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s now- $1.85 trillion plan to boost social and education programs as well as protect against global warming continues to be fine-tuned by Democrats in Congress with a new goal of completing work before Thanksgiving. TAX BREAKS — An expanded child tax credit would continue for another year. — The expanded Earned Income Tax Credit that …

Child tax credit tussle reflects debate over work incentives
3 years, 2 months ago

Child tax credit tussle reflects debate over work incentives

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — To supporters of the child tax credit, there has always been an “aha moment” — the recognition that as little as a few hundred dollars a month could be life-changing. Bennet and DeLauro are among the Democratic lawmakers who have pushed to make permanent an expanded child tax credit, which President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief package transformed into …

What’s in, and what’s out, as Democrats trim Biden bill
3 years, 2 months ago

What’s in, and what’s out, as Democrats trim Biden bill

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — After months of talks, Democrats are edging closer to an agreement on what programs and policies to include in President Joe Biden’s massive plan to expand health and safety net programs and combat global warming. But here’s where the bill stands so far, according to lawmakers and aides: — A child tax credit increase would continue for another …

What's in, and what's out, as Democrats trim Biden bill
3 years, 2 months ago

What's in, and what's out, as Democrats trim Biden bill

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But here's where the bill stands so far, according to lawmakers and aides: — …

Census: Relief programs staved off hardship in COVID crash
3 years, 3 months ago

Census: Relief programs staved off hardship in COVID crash

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Massive government relief passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic moved millions of Americans out of poverty last year, even as the official poverty rate increased slightly, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. But the Census Bureau’s supplemental measure of poverty, which takes into account government benefit programs and stimulus payments, showed that the share of people in poverty …

Biden’s Build Back Better plan explained: What it is and what’s in it
3 years, 3 months ago

Biden’s Build Back Better plan explained: What it is and what’s in it

CNN  

CNN — After months of negotiations and passage in the House last month, President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.75 trillion economic and climate package was dealt a major blow on Sunday when a key Democratic senator said he cannot support the bill. The provision, along with the child care measure, would cost an estimated $381.5 billion, according to the CBO. This …

How the expanded child tax credit payments work
3 years, 5 months ago

How the expanded child tax credit payments work

Associated Press  

The Biden administration is beginning to distribute expanded child tax credit payments, giving parents on average $423 this month, with payments continuing through the end of the year. President Joe Biden increased the size of the tax credit as part of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, as well as making it fully available to families without any tax obligations. …

Biden says child tax credit a ‘giant step’ to counter poverty
3 years, 5 months ago

Biden says child tax credit a ‘giant step’ to counter poverty

Al Jazeera  

The Child Tax Credit is being likened to a universal basic income for children that helps people meet monthly expenses. Some 35 million American families have started receiving their first monthly payout from the US government in an expanded income-support programme that President Joe Biden said on Thursday could help end child poverty. Under the Child Tax Credit programme that …

Editorial: The infrastructure deal: Probably necessary, but not nearly sufficient
3 years, 6 months ago

Editorial: The infrastructure deal: Probably necessary, but not nearly sufficient

LA Times  

After weeks of negotiations, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate finally found a way to agree on a $579-billion increase in badly needed infrastructure spending: Stick almost exclusively to traditional road, bridge and rail projects, and find a bogus way to pay for them. By the White House’s estimate, the deal would provide about two-thirds of the roughly $900 billion …

Parents Are Already Budgeting For New Child Tax Payments
3 years, 6 months ago

Parents Are Already Budgeting For New Child Tax Payments

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The IRS has notified millions of parents that they will soon receive monthly payments worth as much as $300 per child, and some have already made plans for the money. Rykiel, 33, does the family’s taxes, so she was well aware that the child tax credit benefited her family even before Democrats dramatically expanded it as part …

Democrats Have A Plan To Slash Child Poverty, But It Goes Through A Shoddy Website
3 years, 6 months ago

Democrats Have A Plan To Slash Child Poverty, But It Goes Through A Shoddy Website

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The government’s new online portal for America’s poorest families to receive the child tax credit is proving too difficult to use and could hinder the Biden administration’s efforts to cut child poverty in the United States. Making it mobile friendly — you can’t use it on your phone — we are really concerned about that.” The online …

White House Seeks To Boost Awareness Of Checks Coming To Parents
3 years, 6 months ago

White House Seeks To Boost Awareness Of Checks Coming To Parents

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING A top White House goal this year is to slash child poverty by sending monthly checks to parents starting in July. “We will lift half of America’s children out of poverty,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday, calling the anticipated policy achievement her favorite thing about her job. To that end, Harris appeared at a Washington, D.C., …

New California COVID relief could include checks, business grants, child savings accounts
3 years, 7 months ago

New California COVID relief could include checks, business grants, child savings accounts

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom has proposed more than a dozen financial aid measures to help residents and businesses recover from the pandemic. The California Legislature is weighing a raft of proposals to provide new financial help to residents who have suffered economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, including rent relief, state stimulus checks and grants for small businesses and entrepreneurs wanting to …

Can monthly cash payments cut child poverty by nearly half?
3 years, 7 months ago

Can monthly cash payments cut child poverty by nearly half?

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The check won’t arrive until mid-July, but Katrina Peters already knows what she’ll do with her Child Tax Credit payments. “There’s something huge happening with the idea that the lowest-income people need cash assistance the most,” said Teague Gonzalez, public benefits director with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. “If implemented well, this could be …

Parents Will Start Getting Monthly Checks From The Government Starting July 15
3 years, 7 months ago

Parents Will Start Getting Monthly Checks From The Government Starting July 15

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Tens of millions of U.S. households will begin receiving monthly checks of up to $300 per child starting July 15, President Joe Biden’s administration announced Monday. The checks are the result of a boosted child tax credit program Democrats included in the American Rescue Plan, the $2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Biden signed into law in March. …

Republicans Tar New Child Benefit As Welfare Without Work
3 years, 8 months ago

Republicans Tar New Child Benefit As Welfare Without Work

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Democrats have changed their approach to social programs, embracing unconditional cash assistance without the kind of “work requirements” they loved in the Bill Clinton years. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House, and Rep. Kevin Brady, the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, have called it “welfare without work.” “Good jobs and rising …

Biden’s ‘Families Plan’ would tax rich to help schools, childcare, community college and more
3 years, 8 months ago

Biden’s ‘Families Plan’ would tax rich to help schools, childcare, community college and more

LA Times  

President Biden is proposing an ambitious $1.8-trillion, 10-year plan to subsidize American families’ education, child care, health insurance and job leave costs — an investment in workers intended to complement his earlier call for infrastructure spending and much more, to rebuild an economy hobbled by pandemic and economic inequality. The latest package would be paid for in part by turning …

Parents Would Keep Getting Monthly Checks Under Joe Biden's 'American Families Plan'
3 years, 8 months ago

Parents Would Keep Getting Monthly Checks Under Joe Biden's 'American Families Plan'

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Parents would receive monthly checks, even after this year is over, under President Joe Biden’s forthcoming multitrillion-dollar plan for American families. Economic advisers initially planned on a four-year extension of the child tax credit that would expire in 2025, The Washington Post first reported and HuffPost confirmed with two administration officials. Democrats significantly increased the child tax …

Taxes: Biden’s stimulus delivered a bigger tax cut to lower-income Americans than the 2017 GOP reform, report shows
3 years, 8 months ago

Taxes: Biden’s stimulus delivered a bigger tax cut to lower-income Americans than the 2017 GOP reform, report shows

CNN  

CNN — While President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are readying their plan to hike incomes taxes on the wealthy, a new government report shows that their $1.9 trillion relief package slashed taxes for lower- and moderate-income Americans for this year. This is a far bigger tax cut for Americans on the lower and middle rungs of the income ladder …

The Most Consequential Policy In The COVID-19 Relief Law Is Still A Big Mystery
3 years, 9 months ago

The Most Consequential Policy In The COVID-19 Relief Law Is Still A Big Mystery

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Democrats have said the expansion of the child tax credit might be the most important part of the American Rescue Plan, the coronavirus relief bill President Joe Biden signed into law last week. That’s a pretty tough question to say yes to,” Sen. Sherrod Brown said of the child tax credit in the new coronavirus relief bill. …

Child Tax Credit: Millions of parents could soon get up to $3,600 per child
3 years, 9 months ago

Child Tax Credit: Millions of parents could soon get up to $3,600 per child

CBS News  

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden, is aimed at shoring up the pandemic-stricken economy through fiscal measures like expanded unemployment aid and direct stimulus checks. But the legislation also includes a relatively novel measure that offers a form of guaranteed income to parents of children under 18, or what one expert calls "a …

Column: Why Stockton is a myth-busting case study for Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan
3 years, 9 months ago

Column: Why Stockton is a myth-busting case study for Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan

LA Times  

Speaking from the White House Rose Garden on Friday, President Biden took a moment to reflect on the true impact of his administration’s humongous $1.9-trillion coronavirus relief package, also known as the American Rescue Plan. “This bill puts working people in this nation first.” Rejecting the trickle-down economics favored by Republicans since Ronald Reagan occupied the White House, Biden added: …

IRS says new round of COVID relief payments on the way
3 years, 9 months ago

IRS says new round of COVID relief payments on the way

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Along with daylight saving time, this weekend could bring some Americans fatter bank balances. “The payments will be delivered automatically to taxpayers even as the IRS continues delivering regular tax refunds,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement. Then-President Donald Trump called the payments in the $900 billion relief bill passed in December too small and Biden …

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