Friend,

I represent the third poorest congressional district in the country. So when economists tell us that nearly half of Americans do not have enough cash to cover a $400 emergency expense, my neighbors and my community have that lived experience every single day. It's gotten so much worse for my neighbors during the pandemic.

That's why I've pushed throughout the pandemic for legislation to put money directly into people's pockets on a monthly basis. That's what people need to survive. It's what taking care of our community looks like.

So I recently reintroduced the BOOST Act, which would help more than 153 million adults and 64 million children―and will lift more than 9 million families out of poverty.¹

The Washington Post calls the BOOST Act “the closest plan in Congress to universal basic income.”² This anti-poverty legislation will provide recurring monthly, cash payments to low- and moderate-income people and families, including undocumented people and people who don’t earn enough to file taxes.

We’d pay for it through a simple, creative plan known as #MintTheCoin, where the Treasury Secretary would mint and issue multiple $1 trillion platinum coins to cover emergency relief programs without triggering any additional public debt. We've worked with economic experts on this: it's really possible.

When the federal government gave people one-time payments occasionally during the pandemic, it had a huge impact in people's lives. But one-time payments are not enough. People need immediate, lasting relief, and we have a solution.

Can you chip in today to help fight to end poverty, including passing this critical legislation that puts up to $6,000 into families’ pockets each year?

Building on the expanded Child Tax Credit, which cut childhood poverty nearly in half, the BOOST Act would provide individuals with cash payments of up to $250 per month and up to $500 per month for families. For some people, this may not seem like much. But for many residents of my district, this means that people get to stay in their homes, to keep up on their bills, to make sure food gets on the table… It matters a lot.

Through debit cards that automatically reload each month, this bill would be accessible for our neighbors who lack bank accounts. That's huge, too. And to ensure people actually get the cards, the bill would set up a civilian “Emergency First Responder Corps” to conduct wellness checks on our most vulnerable communities, including elderly people, unhoused people, and people without phones or internet access. This means more jobs and more support for people who need it the most.

I've pushed for universal payments and I'll keep fighting for that. But this covers a lot of people who are typically left out of government assistance: It would be available to individuals earning less than $50,000 a year and families earning under $100,000.

Help me build support for this critical anti-poverty legislation that would lift more than 9 million families out of poverty. Pitch in $5 today.

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Thank you for fighting for a future that includes all of us, not just the wealthy few.

Always serving you,

Rashida

¹ https://itep.org/boost-act/
² https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2019/06/06/rep-rashida-tlaib-introduces-closest-plan-congress-universal-basic-income/