Hi, John:

Earlier this fall, President Biden unveiled his Build Back Better agenda—a multi-trillion-dollar spending package aimed at expanding the social safety net and setting our families on an equitable path toward economic recovery. But last month, Congress spent weeks debating which social goods would be slashed from the agenda and which campaign promises would ultimately be broken. 

With the fate of the Child Tax Credit seemingly bleak, Color Of Change sent a detailed letter to the White House and Congressional leaders to demand that universal child allowance remain. And on November 5, when the House passed a key procedural vote to line up passage of the Build Back Better Act, an expanded and extended child tax credit was included!¹ 

Thanks to the 18,000 Color Of Change members who signed our petition, 60 million children—including those with undocumented status—will receive direct cash assistance for at least one additional year! 

This is a step in the right direction, but we believe that the CTC should be made permanent! To date, the Child Tax Credit has lifted 3.5 million children out of poverty and slashed the food insufficiency rate by more than 20 percent for households with children.² As Black and low-income families look for some semblance of financial security, it’s crucial that pandemic relief continue. 

John, Help Us Send a Message to Congress: Direct Cash Relief Should Never Expire!

More than half of workers are currently living paycheck to paycheck.³ Meaning, an unexpected expense—whether it be a trip to the emergency room or an unusually high utility bill—can be utterly devastating. No one should live in economic limbo, or be forced to rely on high-interest installment loans to send their children to daycare and stock their refrigerators.  As we’ve seen with the CTC, direct cash assistance empowers our communities with the additional income necessary to make ends meet. If our elected officials truly wish to support Black and low-income families, then they must introduce and advance legislation that provides much-needed relief to our communities. 

And with your donation, John, Color Of Change would be able to amp up our advocacy around this issue—from running powerful digital advertisements targeting legislative aides to briefing White House personnel and lawmakers on the importance of direct cash relief to Black and low-income folks. We truly cannot do this work without you. So, John, will you power the fight to keep our families economically afloat?

Until justice is real, 

—The Color Of Change Team

References:

1. Christina Wilkie, “Biden social and climate bill clears procedural vote in House, where it still awaits final approval,” CNBC, November 6, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/333976?t=14&akid=52444%2E4731121%2EsWxfHa. 
2. Carmen Reinicke, “The earliest child tax credit payments meant 3.3 million households had enough to eat,” CNBC, September 1, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/333977?t=16&akid=52444%2E4731121%2EsWxfHa. 
3. Hillary Hoffower, “70% of millennials are living paycheck to paycheck, more than any other generation,” Business Insider, September 21, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/333978?t=18&akid=52444%2E4731121%2EsWxfHa.