Millions of families with children have been getting a monthly check from the government since July, checks that are being used for rent, food, utilities and all the things that meet a family's needs. These checks are also the clearest sign that we finally have a safety net in the United States to catch us when times get tough so we don't keep falling. But as quickly as those monthly checks — child tax credits — have come, they might now go away. As soon as Dec. 15th.
Why? Because Congress hasn't heard from enough families such as yours, who feel the enormous impact of that monthly help. Because Congress approved the checks as part of their COVID relief when in reality too many of us are struggling to get by — pandemic or no pandemic.
We are both moms (named Stephanie!) and we both know how critical cash is to making a household work. I (Stephanie Land) wrote about my experience living in poverty in MAID, which is now a Netflix series. And I (Stephanie Bonin) am a restaurant owner who has been calling for more support for a year and a half. We know our experiences are not unique… unfortunately.
Together, we must demand that Congress and President Biden continue the monthly checks we receive from the Child Tax Credit, instead of those checks ending on Dec. 15. The data tells us that 3.6 million children have been lifted out of poverty because of these checks. The proposed extension is in the Build Back Better Act. But, if it doesn't pass the families of about 61 million children could see their monthly Child Tax Credit payments end after next week.
Imagine if the legacy of the last two years of uncertainty and loss was the permanence of these checks? We would be changing the awfulness of COVID for the opportunity of good.
Look, you need to have a job in order to support your family. But how do you work if you have kids that need to be cared for? How do you buy clothes that are acceptable for job interviews if you are not working? How do you put food on the table or sign up for after school programs that give opportunity to your kids? Monthly cash can change that. It is support that we receive automatically without jumping through hoops and red tape. These child checks are not the answer to all our monthly bills and all our problems, but they make a difference in making our families' finances work. They empower us to make change happen. These checks represent the difference between begging and dignity.
Our country and its systems leave so many people behind. We make it too hard for too many families. It has been said that poverty is a policy choice. Let's make sure we make the right choice, the one that is helpful and healthy for our nation. Let's change these systems from the bottom up – forever – and support our families with direct cash assistance. Let's extend the monthly child tax credit checks by passing the Build Back Better Act immediately, and then we can go on to make these checks permanent.
We thank you,
Stephanie Land, author of bestselling book: MAID, Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive which is now a NETFLIX series.
&
Stephanie Bonin, author of Change.org petition for monthly stimulus checks and owner of duo Restaurant in Denver.
