Velázquez Introduces Bill to Create Government-Wide Task Force to Fight Child Poverty

Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Lifting American Children from Poverty Act of 2022, legislation to address the crisis that has left one in every seven children in the United States living in poverty. The bill recognizes the need for the full scale of the federal government to collaborate across agencies to find solutions to end child poverty and creates an interagency task force on child and family economic security.
 
“The reality that millions of children wake up each day without enough food to eat or a safe place to sleep is completely at odds with the promise and ideals of America,” said Velázquez. “During the pandemic, Democrats passed an extended Child Tax Credit which made some of the largest gains in recent history to fight child poverty, until it expired last year. In addition to bringing back the child tax credit, more must be done to ensure children can access opportunity and reach their full potential. This legislation creates an approach that matches the scope of the problem by calling on federal agencies to prioritize ending child poverty once-and-for-all.”
 
“That any child lives in poverty in the richest country in the world is deeply shameful,” said Jennifer Vallone, Associate Executive Director, University Settlement. “Every day, our programs partner with families across Lower Manhattan and in Brooklyn who are raising children while navigating the pressures of poverty. In 2021, the Child Tax Credit reduced child poverty by half, demonstrating that the federal government can succeed when it does more to support families. University Settlement calls on Congress to pass the Lifting American Children from Poverty Act of 2022 - a first step toward doing better for our community's children and families.”
 
A copy of the bill is online here.
 
The bill’s cosponsors include Representatives: Dwight Evans (D-PA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ). It has also been endorsed by Oxfam America.