Republican Policy Has More Than Doubled The Child Poverty Rate

How Republican opposition led to higher child poverty rates in America.

In 2021, thanks to the Child Tax Credit, the child poverty rate was at an all-time low of 5.2%. Unfortunately, it was only temporary because when Democrats attempted to expand it, they were blocked by Republicans and Joe Manchin. In 2022, the child poverty rate shot back to 12.4% nationwide. In Texas, the child poverty rate is 19%.

Texas has one of the highest child poverty rates in the nation, only better than other Southern Republican states, like Mississippi and Arkansas.

This is directly due to Republican’s intentional blocking of the extension of the Child Tax Credit at the end of 2021 (the 117th Congress), even though it was a campaign promise by Joe Biden.

The original American Rescue Plan went through the House and included the Child Tax Credit in early 2021. Every single Republican voted against it.

To be clear:

• Dan Crenshaw (TX02) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Pat Fallon (TX04) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Lance Gooden (TX05) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Michael McCaul (TX10) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• August Pfluger (TX11) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Kay Granger (TX12) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Ronny Jackson (TX13) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Randy Weber (TX14) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Pete Sessions (TX17) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Jodey Arrington (TX19) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Chip Roy (TX21) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Troy Nehls (TX22) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Tony Gonzalez (TX23) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Beth Van Duyne (TX24) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Roger Williams (TX25) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Michael Burgess (TX26) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Michael Cloud (TX27) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• John Carter (TX31) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

• Brian Babin (TX36) voted to increase the child poverty rate.

Every one of these congresspeople is again up for reelection in 2024.

The Child Tax Credit passed the House, despite the GOP efforts to kill it, and went to the Senate.

It was taken out of the American Rescue Plan as Senator Joe Manchin’s stipulation for signing it there. Why? Because Manchin is a Republican pretending to be a Democrat while building massive amounts of wealth from the coal industry.

But there is nothing we can do about Manchin. He’s Virginia’s problem.

We can do something about the asshole congresspeople above and vote against Ted Cruz in the 2024 election.

In the wealthiest country in the world, it is inexcusable that millions of our children are living in poverty. This is a policy choice. Republicans advanced tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations while children in America suffered.

President Biden put out the following statement today regarding the child poverty rate:

There are so many important reasons to vote in 2024. Ensuring that children in Texas are no longer suffering is only one of them. As long as Republicans have control of the House, we will not see any alleviation for the American people. We must vote to take back Congress in 2024 and hold on to the Senate. The future of America’s children and the well-being of our nation depends on it.