On September 20th, 2023, the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee hosted a hearing entitled “Childcare Since the Pandemic: Macroeconomic Impacts of Public Policy Measures.” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) lead the meeting, joined by Senator John Kennedy (R-LA). Senator Warren started with how broken the childcare system in the United States is following the
Child Poverty Reduction Act On September 21, 2023, Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), Representative Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA), and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2023 to commit the nation to cutting child poverty by half in 5 years and to
On September 11, 2023, the United States Census Bureau released Poverty in the United States: 2022, the annual report that measures the economic wellbeing of households, families, and individuals in the United States. This report provides estimates of two measures of poverty: the official poverty measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM); the SPM is
On July 13th, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) designed to improve affordability and access to care options for families and promote financial stability of child care providers participating in the federal child care subsidy program under the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). This
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy released a new report, Expanding the Child Tax Credit Would Advance Racial Equity in the Tax Code, on August 29, 2023, examining the Child Tax Credit under current law and the House expansion proposal, introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). The report makes the following key findings: “Expanding
On August 23, 2023, First Focus on Children and ZERO TO THREE released Babies in the Budget, a new report that examines federal investment in the nation’s youngest children across more than 120 programs. Their analysis finds that the federal government invests very little in babies and toddlers – the federal share of spending on
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, Congress wrapped up their work for the summer and left town for the August recess. Members will spend the next 6 weeks in their districts and will return to Washington, D.C. after Labor Day to resume business on the Hill. The Senate moved quickly to pass each of the twelve
With just one week left until the August recess, Congress has continued to make progress on a number of their top priorities for this year. Both the House and Senate have moved funding bills through various subcommittees and the full Appropriations committees; the House Rules committee has announced consideration of two of the Appropriations bills
The House Committee on Ways and Means hosted a Subcommittee hearing on July 13, 2023 titled “‘Where is All the Welfare Money Going?’ Reclaiming TANF-Non-Assistance Dollars to Lift Americans Out of Poverty.” The hearing examined Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds in light of recent reports of misuse by states. Prominent speakers included Chairman
On July 13th, 2023, the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight held a hearing to assess the last 25 years of the Child Tax Credit and discuss future implementation of the credit. The hearing began with an opening statement from the Chairman and Senator Bennet(D-CA) that called for the expansion of the Child