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Folks — In January 1964, in his first State of the Union Address, President Lyndon B. Johnson laid out a vision to eradicate poverty in America. In the richest nation on Earth, he declared, we cannot afford to let vast swaths of our nation languish, unable to meet their most basic needs. The plans he introduced that night led to the creation of some of the most important social programs in America today: Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance, and federal support for schools and employment programs. This week — almost forty-nine years to the day since that address — I reflected on the fight to end poverty as I visited TGTHR, an organization in Boulder working to combat youth homelessness in Colorado. Across Colorado and our country, advocates are doing incredible work to lift folks out of poverty, but there’s still so much more to be done. I believe, like President Johnson did, that we have the tools and the moral imperative to end poverty in America, and I believe that work should start with our children.
When we temporarily expanded the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in 2021, we cut child poverty nearly in HALF; reduced hunger by a QUARTER; and enabled hardworking parents all over the country to pay for expenses like school supplies, rent, and more. Unfortunately, Congress did not make the CTC permanent in 2022, and child poverty has risen as a result. Permanently expanding the Child Tax Credit will provide historic relief working for families in Colorado and across the country. It will help parents get their kids out of poverty. Friend, we don't have to accept child poverty as a chronic condition of our economy and our democracy. I will continue to fight for the Child Tax Credit and work towards ending child poverty in this country. If you’re with me, please add your name to my petition today → Thank you, Michael |
