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covid-19 pandemic
As Paper Shows Benefits of Expanded Child Tax Credit, Sinema Challenger Gallego Says 'Bring It Back'
A Georgetown University economist tied pandemic stimulus and expanded child tax credit payments to reduced low birth weights, fewer preterm births, and higher Apgar scores.
Apr 15, 2023
"Bring it back."
That's what Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)—who is running to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in 2024—said Friday in response to new research highlighting some benefits of the expanded child tax credit (CTC) of 2021.
Krista Ruffini, an economist and assistant professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, shared a working paper about how Covid-19 pandemic stimulus and expanded CTC payments impacted infant health on the open access research platform SSRN.
After three rounds of stimulus checks throughout the first year of the pandemic, households with children received $250-$300 per child each month for the last six months of 2021 through the CTC expansion included in the American Rescue Plan relief package.
Ruffini found that "increased resources during pregnancy improve child well-being, and that unconditional cash transfers have large effects on infant health." Specifically, she connected an additional $1,000 with "increasing Apgar scores 0.02 points, reducing very low birth weight by at least 0.6 percentage points, and reducing preterm births by approximately 3 percentage points."
\u201cPayments were super important for infant health and broad across the popn: less low birthweight, fewer pre-term births, higher Apgar scores 2/4\u201d— Krista Ruffini (@Krista Ruffini) 1681498682
"Payment timing is also important: Resources received during the final months of a pregnancy yield a greater health benefit than those received earlier on," the economist explained. "Patterns in prenatal care and maternal health suggest that these benefits to infants accrue through both investments in children as well as improvements in the prenatal environment."
"The improvements in infant health documented in this paper are consistent with previous work showing that families used the payments on essential goods and services and to improve their financial position. It builds on this literature by showing that these improvements in material hardship benefited the next generation in ways that are expected to yield long-term benefits," she wrote. "These findings are particularly relevant as dozens of U.S. cities are piloting guaranteed income programs and policymakers contemplate a permanent expansion of the federal child tax credit."
\u201cWhy? Families spent $ on essentials and paid down debt, + less maternal smoking, more prenatal care. Altogether, consistent w large body of work showing importance of resources on infant & child health. 4/4\u201d— Krista Ruffini (@Krista Ruffini) 1681498682
Despite the well-documented benefits of the boosted CTC, including a dramatic drop in child poverty, congressional Democrats' efforts to lengthen the period of the program or even make it permanent have been unsuccessful.
After long joining with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to thwart various priorities of Democratic lawmakers and President Joe Biden, Sinema formally ditched the party in December and became an Independent. Although Sinema has not officially announced whether she will seek reelection next year, Gallego's campaign has gained national attention since launching in late January.
Throughout his campaign, Gallego has shared his experience growing up poor, as one of four children being raised by a single mother, and accused Sinema of fighting "for the interests of Big Pharma and Wall Street at our expense."
As Gallego's campaign said Friday:
Sen. Sinema helped block the expanded child tax credit from being included in the Inflation Reduction Act—essentially giving a thumbs up to 3.7 million children living in poverty. While, simultaneously, she fought to protect the carried interest tax loophole—a favorite of her hedge fund donors.
Growing up as the child of a poor, single mother, Ruben understands what the child tax credit means for millions of hard-working Americans and their children. That is why he has always been and remains a firm and vocal supporter of the child tax credit—because working families deserve to make ends meet and no child should ever have to worry about where their next meal will come from. In the Senate, Ruben will always fight for working people—because that's who he is and where he comes from.
While Sinema weighs whether to run for Senate again, her campaign filings for the first quarter of this year revealed Friday that she only raised $2.1 million, compared with Gallego's $3.7 million since launching his campaign.
Sinema "brought in funds from several prominent Republican donors and Wall Street sources. She raised more than $280,000 from employees of Blackstone, the private investment company, and $196,000 from employees of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm," Politico reported. "Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci also gave her campaign the maximum $3,300, while the No Labels Problem Solvers PAC gave $10,000."
\u201cThe top 1, 2, and 3 private equity firms in the world also happen to be Kyrsten Sinema's three largest contributors. What a coincidence! \n\nBlackstone: $286,850 \nThe Carlyle Group: $196,400\nKKR: $53,700 \n\nAnd that's just for the first quarter of the year.\u201d— Replace Sinema (@Replace Sinema) 1681517340
Gallego's campaign highlighted that less than $6,000 of Sinema's funds for January through March came from small-dollar donors, while 98% of those who have given to his campaign are small-dollar donors.
"I'm proud to be running a people-powered campaign where 98% of my donors are small-dollar donors who chipped in less than $100," Gallego said. " It's unfortunate that Sinema has pursued a different strategy: catering to a small group of rich donors."
"It doesn't seem to be getting her very far," he added. "At the end of the day: this seat is not going to be bought by a few rich guys on Wall Street. It's going to be won with the support of regular, everyday Arizonans—and I'm proud to have them in my corner."
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Soaring School Lunch Debt Shows Need for Universal Free Meals
"Access to good nutrition should not depend on where a child lives or their family finances!" said one group.
Jan 11, 2023
Congress initially responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by enabling U.S. public schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all 50 million children, but Republicans blocked a continuation of the program last summer—and now, districts and kids are suffering.
Halfway through the academic year, the nonprofit School Nutrition Association (SNA) on Wednesday released the results of a November survey that shows school meal programs are struggling with increasing costs, staff and menu item shortages, and unpaid charges.
"Congress has an opportunity to protect this critical lifeline."
Last June, Congress passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, bipartisan compromise legislation that increased the federal reimbursement rates for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) by 40 cents and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) by 15 cents for the 2022-23 school year.
However, only around a quarter of the 1,230 districts that responded to SNA's survey said those levels are sufficient, and 99.2% of them have moderate or serious concern about the raised rates expiring.
Additionally, a majority of districts that charge for meals said that the loss of the federal pandemic waiver enabling them to feed all students led to a rise in unpaid meal debt (96.3%), complaints and concerns from families (86.8%), administrative burden (86.5%), and stigma for low-income students (66.8%).
Over two-thirds of the districts reported unpaid meal debt collectively totaling $19.2 million. By district, debt ranged from just $15 to $1.7 million, but the median was $5,164.
\u201c.@SchoolLunch's 2023 survey shows that school nutrition programs are at a dangerous tipping point, facing rising costs, supply chain issues & labor shortages.\nAll schools should be able to offer free #HealthySchoolMeals to ensure all students are able to thrive. @urbanschoolfood\u201d— Devon Klatell (@Devon Klatell) 1673458391
A new position paper outlines SNA's primary recommendations:
- Make permanent the Keep Kids Fed Act reimbursement rates;
- Expand NSLP/SBP to offer healthy school meals for all students at no charge;
- Ensure the U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains current nutrition standards; and
- Reduce administrative and regulatory burdens.
"School meal programs are at a tipping point as rising costs, persistent supply chain issues, and labor shortages jeopardize their long-term sustainability," said SNA president Lori Adkins. "Congress has an opportunity to protect this critical lifeline by making reimbursement increases permanent and allowing us to offer free meals to ensure all students are nourished during the school day."
SNA is far from alone in demanding congressional action—though the dynamic on Capitol Hill is even more complicated now than it was last summer, since a divided Republican Party took narrow control of the U.S. House of Representatives last week.
\u201cRemember when we jumped up and down about universal school meals expiring and then the GOP blocked the extension because they wanted to nickel-and-dime a few mil & they were worried about those rich kids living large off the gov't Sloppy Joes? Yeah, well:\n\nhttps://t.co/Ldy3a9zjBy\u201d— Elliot Haspel (@Elliot Haspel) 1673444415
"We are experiencing cost increases in food, supplies, and labor like we have never seen before, and the meal reimbursement rate is not sufficient to cover the costs," Katie Wilson, executive director of the Urban School Food Alliance, a nonprofit created by school food service professionals, told The Washington Post, which reported on the SNA survey.
"We are witnessing large negative balances in schools since free meals have been discontinued," Wilson added, noting that some districts have started giving children with certain levels of debt alternate, lesser meals.
Highlighting that school meal policies vary by state and district, Wilson's organization
tweeted Wednesday that "access to good nutrition should not depend on where a child lives or their family finances!"
As USA Today—which also reported on SNA's survey Wednesday—detailed:
After pandemic-era waivers granting universal schools meal expired at the start of the school year, some states effectively extended them this school year, including Massachusetts, Nevada, Vermont, and Pennsylvania.
California, Maine, and now Colorado are the only states with laws ensuring permanent universal meal programs for all children, regardless of parents' income.
A few districts, including Chicago and New York City, also offer free meals to kids.
However, Donna Martin, nutrition director for the Burke County school district in Georgia, warned the Post that "doing universal school meals state by state is way too piecemeal and will ultimately leave needy students out."
"School districts are incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in school meal debt that the school districts' budgets—not school nutrition—will eventually have to cover," Martin stressed. "This takes dollars away from teaching and learning."
Elliot Haspel, author of Crawling Behind: America's Child Care Crisis and How to Fix It, said in a series of tweets Wednesday that "I, too, dislike the state-by-state approach. HOWEVER, given the political makeup of Congress, I think every state that can needs to be passing universal school meals (at solid reimbursement rates) during the '23 legislative session."
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Health Experts Urge Covid-19 Stimulus Packages to Fuel a Healthier Recovery
"A truly healthy recovery... will not permit unabated climate change and deforestation, potentially unleashing new health threats upon vulnerable populations."
May 26, 2020
Hundreds of medical professionals and groups representing over 40 million healthcare workers came together Tuesday to demand that world leaders pursue a #HealthyRecovery from the coronavirus pandemic that incorporates preparation for future public health crises and environmental and climate action into economic stimulus packages.
"The enormous investments your governments will make over the coming months in key sectors like healthcare, transport, energy, and agriculture must have health protection and promotion embedded at their core."
--medical professionals
The demand was made in a letter sent to the Group of 20 (G20) leaders, the global economic forum of governments, and central bank governors from 19 nations and the European Union. Signatories included the World Medical Association, the International Council of Nurses, the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), and the American Public Health Association.
Medical associations in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and other countries have signed on to the joint call. The call states that "health professionals stand united in support of a pragmatic, science-based approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic" and its recovery.
According to a website dedicated to sharing the letter with the world, the Global Climate and Health Alliance, Every Breath Matters, and the World Health Organization "support and promote it in service of the global medical and health community. "
\u201cWhat the world needs now is a #HealthyRecovery\u2014that\u2019s why, as a member of @UKHealthClimate, we\u2019re asking @BorisJohnson and other world leaders to use economic stimulus packages to improve the health of people and the planet: https://t.co/IWezQnNMPR\nhttps://t.co/fwUCbjIpEb\u201d— RCPCH (@RCPCH) 1590488995
"Before COVID-19, air pollution--primarily from traffic, inefficient residential energy use for cooking and heating, coal-fired power plants, the burning of solid waste, and agriculture practices--was already weakening our bodies," says the letter. "A truly healthy recovery will not allow pollution to continue to cloud the air we breathe and the water we drink. It will not permit unabated climate change and deforestation, potentially unleashing new health threats upon vulnerable populations."
"In a healthy economy and civil society, the most vulnerable among us are looked after," the letter continues. "Workers have access to well-paying jobs that do not exacerbate pollution or nature degradation; cities prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport, and our rivers and skies are protected and clean. Nature is thriving, our bodies are more resilient to infectious diseases, and nobody is pushed into poverty because of healthcare costs."
Emphasizing the importance of involving medical experts in economic recovery policies, the letter adds that "the enormous investments your governments will make over the coming months in key sectors like healthcare, transport, energy, and agriculture must have health protection and promotion embedded at their core. What the world needs now is a #HealthyRecovery. Your stimulus plans must be a prescription for just that."
\u201c>40 million health care professionals demand @G20 leaders take #COVID19 recovery action that reduces #AirPollution, reforms #FossilFuels subsidies, scales #RenewableEnergy, ramps up public transportation, reduces #GHG emissions. \n\n#HealthyRecovery\n\nhttps://t.co/8ZJ3krOFBD\u201d— Doctors for Planetary Health \u2014 West Coast (@Doctors for Planetary Health \u2014 West Coast) 1590450269
The medical professionals' demand echoed calls from climate campaigners, advocacy groups, and progressive policymakers in countries such as Canada and across the globe for a just recovery and global Green New Deal as the international community moves past the pandemic. The new letter highlights that "the layers of this ongoing tragedy are many and magnified by inequality and underinvestment in public health systems."
"We have witnessed death, disease, and mental distress at levels not seen for decades," the letter says. "These effects could have been partially mitigated, or possibly even prevented, by adequate investments in pandemic preparedness, public health, and environmental stewardship. We must learn from these mistakes and come back stronger, healthier, and more resilient."
The letter urges policymakers to "use smarter incentives and disincentives in the service of a healthier, more resilient society," explaining that "if governments were to make major reforms to current fossil fuel subsidies, shifting the majority towards the production of clean, renewable energy, our air would be cleaner and climate emissions massively reduced, powering an economic recovery that would spur global GDP gains of almost $100 trillion U.S. dollars between now and 2050."
\u201cDoctors & medical professional from around the \ud83c\udf0e call on #G20 leaders to ensure #HealthRecovery & #GreenRecovery\n\n\ud83d\udc49 Reduce #AirPollution \n\ud83d\udc49 Reform fossil fuel subsidies\n\ud83d\udc49 Encourage energy transition\n\ud83d\udc49 Cut GHG #emissions\n\n@medwma @ICNurses @WFPHA_FMASP\nhttps://t.co/JhZdisFsjd\u201d— Energy Watch Group (@Energy Watch Group) 1590497852
With the letter, said International Council of Nurses president Annette Kennedy, signatories "are calling on governments to make sure that pollution levels do not return to previous levels, so that our children and grandchildren will be able to grow up healthily in a livable and sustainable climate."
The joint call was welcomed by environmental advocacy groups such as Greenpeace and global leaders like Mary Robinson, former Irish president and U.N. high commissioner for human rights. Now chair of the Elders, Robinson voiced support for the demand from health professionals worldwide on Tuesday.
"Rebuilding a healthy society means taking real and lasting action on the climate crisis," she said. "COVID-19 has shone a light on the interconnectedness of our shared vulnerabilities and demonstrated beyond doubt that public health and the protection of our planet are inextricably linked."
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