In Focus: Helping Families Rise Which public payment programs are the best solutions to economic depression?
Artwork by John P.
Dessereau
"Joe Biden consciously modeled his presidential launch after Franklin Roosevelt. He saw himself as thrust into history, amid health and economic crises and a slippage of democracy," writes Executive Editor David Dayen in our new issue.
But after 5 months of successes, it's abundantly clear that all of the Biden administration's measures are temporary. The most potent structural change, an increased Child Tax Credit advanced to families monthly, expires in just one year.
It is this period of uncertainty, for a president, for the country, and for a system of government, that forms the raw materials of our latest special report.
Take a look at these three features from our May/June issue exploring the benefits and drawbacks of public payment programs:
Undoing Welfare Reform: The expanded Child Tax
Credit will lift an additional 4.1 million children out of poverty, cutting child poverty by about half. Contributor Kalena Thomhave explores what things would look like if we made this policy simple, universal, and permanent.
Congress's Most Family-Friendly Member: Contributor Bryce Covert profiles Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who has spent 30 years in the House fighting for an adequate Child Tax Credit and paid family leave. And now, she's finally getting somewhere.
The Politics of UBI: Staff Writer Alexander Sammon wonders whether guaranteed-income programs are really the policy—and political—winners that everyone assumes they are.
