Playing a little catch up here. Received this e-mail over the weekend from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s (D. OH) re-election campaign:
The United States is one of the most prosperous nations in the world. We rank in the top in economics, business environments, social capital, and education.
Yet somehow, 16.1 percent of the children in this country live in poverty. And 4.9 percent live in what's called "deep poverty."
We've heard a lot about tax reform lately. The president and his administration seem to think that millionaires, billionaires, and corporations are the ones who need tax breaks. That's who they're planning to give tax relief in their plan.
Well, I think if we're going to tackle tax reform, we should give the breaks to the people who need it most. I want to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to help low-income and poverty-stricken families lift themselves up. My plan would put money back in parents' pockets throughout the year, so they can support their children and reliably afford necessities like food and housing.
The best part? One study by researchers at Columbia University showed that this plan would cut the child poverty rate by almost half.
According to Vox: "In raw numbers, [the plan] would lift 5.3 million children out of poverty and 1.9 million out of deep poverty."
With gratitude,
Sherrod