1 in 6 US kids now in poverty as stimulus cuts touted
Ramin Mazaheri
Press TV, Chicago
Studies reveal that child poverty in the United States jumped nearly 10% in 2020, meaning 1 in 6 children lives in poverty in the richest country in the world.
If the US gave direct payments to parents totaling $85 billion - or just 0.4% of its GDP - the child poverty rate would plummet 75%, and affect only 1 in 20 children.
Congress is touting a plan to increase the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,000 annually. Many note that’s a refund for those with jobs, and not an immediate direct payment to buy children diapers, food, school supplies and other necessities.
The extra $1,000 tax refund would cover only about 6 weeks of child care, as their costs have risen 60% since the start of the pandemic.
The discussions on child poverty come as Congress has postponed yet again a long-awaited round of major household stimulus, this time in order to focus on the 2nd impeachment trial of ex-president Donald Trump.
Last year American-style lockdowns led to the sharpest annual increase in the overall poverty rate in over 50 years. Many say the problem is not poor children or even poor parents and longstanding political indifference towards both groups.
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