The United States’ poverty rate experienced its largest one-year jump on record last year, with the rate among children more than doubling from 2021’s historic low of 5.2 percent to 12.4 percent according to new numbers from the US Census Bureau out today. They’re the latest data to reflect the devastating effects following the expiration of nearly all pandemic-era relief programs. That includes the end of Medicaid rules that protected recipients from getting kicked off because of administrative errors, an end to rental assistance policies, and the restart of student loan payments.
These policies might seem like a distant memory at this point. But they’re worth recalling with the arrival of every new report. Each demonstrates what happens when politicians long hostile to caregivers, universal health care, and the welfare state, for a brief moment, acted to create powerful, federally-backed safety net programs aimed at helping everyday Americans. One of the most effective programs to emerge was the expansion of the child tax credit, which provided families monthly checks of up to $300 per child and broadened eligibility rules for qualifying families. In turn, child poverty rates plummeted; the extra income allowed caregivers to quit grueling second and third jobs; parents were able to buy their kids decent clothes and help stop taunting at school. The Census Bureau previously reported that food insecurity dropped dramatically after just the first extended payment, from 10.7 million households reporting they didn’t have enough food to 7.4 million.
But as the pandemic receded, Republicans with the help of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who in private remarks reportedly warned that families were using the extra income to buy drugs, appeared to remember the country’s longstanding pre-pandemic hostility. Their opposition ultimately tanked President Biden’s agenda, and along with it, the brief life of the expanded child tax credit. That’s something worth remembering today as the predictable crowd is likely to cry about Democratic-engineered inflation.
You’re ignoring that things usually only come to the floor for a vote when we think we have Manchin on board. This statistic is meaningless and you know it. Stop being dishonest on behalf of the guy who cast the deciding vote to double child poverty for you.
Call him out for ever bill he should support that he doesn’t. That’s not my point at all. My point is he’s not a Republican with a D next to his name. He’s measurably better than the best Republican. When he leaves the seat will go from 87% agreed to under 40% no matter what.
That doesn’t mean no one can gripe about him. Or that you have to defend him.
I’m not defending him. I’m defending the seat. People have these naive ideas that they are going to replace him with a progressive. They are clueless.
From whom? Are they here?
We should stop propping him up and expend the resources to elect a better candidate in another state. You know, instead of constantly defending
himhis seat.I’ve run into the rhetoric or Reddit for years to primary him. I think a few members of congress have said the same.
Yes, flip seats in other states that are flipp able. That’s the point. Trump won West Virginia by 39 points in 2020. The second highest marching of victory, and somehow we have a Senator who votes for Democrats/Biden 20% more than any other Republican from that state. Under that context why would you criticize him? You’re being handed unearned wins basically.
Great. This isn’t reddit. If you want to argue like you’re on nazi digg, you know where to find nazi digg.
Already covered this meaningless statistic.
Because he just voted to double child poverty. You may be happy with him for it, but I’m not.
What in the hell are you talking about? Lemmy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There’s ample criticism for Manchin here, and my point couldn’t be more simple.
The statistic isn’t meaningless at all. Is there someone that could win that seat that would have voted for this bill? No. Wtf is the point?
I’ve already addressed this point. Since you want to argue against someone who wants to primary Manchin, find someone who holds that view to argue against.
Don’t keep pretending I hold a view you’ve practiced arguing against just because you don’t know how to counter anything else.