Democrats Want to Rescue Children from Poverty

Jump to today’s actions:

Call the Senate
Call the House

Background

Children deserve a safe and healthy start, regardless of where they live or their parents' income. Children learn better when they have enough to eat and are healthy, safe, and secure at home.

The pandemic has increased child poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Remote learning has disproportionately harmed poorer children. Wealthier parents can afford state-of-the-art computers, high-speed internet, and time to help their children, while parents working multiple, low paying jobs for minimum wage cannot.

The Child Tax Credit (CTC), intended to keep children out of poverty, began as an offset for taxes owed. It thus excluded the lowest income, disproportionately BIPOC, families whose tax bill was lower than the credit. Biden's American Rescue Act disentangles the CTC from taxes owed and increases the amount, halving child poverty.

Democrats want to help children even after the pandemic ends. They've introduced a bill to make the payments for children in Biden's covid relief bill permanent. Republicans oppose helping poor and BIPOC children and families, threatening a Senate filibuster.

We are stronger when all children thrive. We applaud Biden's CTC proposal and Democrats' plan to make the payments permanent. We join our MoCs to care for all struggling children.

1. Call the Senate.

Script Oregon Senators

SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753

My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Biden's child tax credit and Rep. Neal's stand-alone bill would decrease child poverty and reduce racial disparities associated with it. It is exactly the pro-child, pro-family, anti-racist policy we need.

I ask you to:

Support Rep. Neal's bill and the CTC's inclusion in the American Rescue Act if GOP Senators filibuster the stand-alone bill before the filibuster is reformed.
Propose any phasing out of payments be based on total family income above at least $150,000 and not parents' tax filing status -- the cost of caring for a child remains the same irrespective of parents' marital status.

SEN. WYDEN: Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Biden's child tax credit and Rep. Neal's stand-alone bill would decrease child poverty and reduce racial disparities associated with it. It is exactly the pro-child, pro-family, anti-racist policy we need.

I ask you to:

Support Rep. Neal's bill and the CTC's inclusion in the American Rescue Act if GOP Senators filibuster the stand-alone bill before the filibuster is reformed.
Propose any phasing out of payments be based on total family income above at least $150,000 and not parents' tax filing status -- the cost of caring for a child remains the same irrespective of parents' marital status.

Script for Republican Senators

D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].

You have the opportunity to show you care about families by voting for Rep. Neal's CTC bill. I'm puzzled by reports that Republicans worry about spending money on children and families. CTC money would be spent on children's needs, going directly into the economy to strengthen it, whereas the stealth tax cuts for the wealthy that were added to the last covid bill at the last moment do not help most children and families or the economy. I will note whether your vote is pro- or anti-child and family when the bill comes to a committee on which you sit and to the floor.

2. Call the House.

Look up your rep.

Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)

Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Biden's child tax credit and Rep. Neal's stand-alone bill would both decrease child poverty and reduce racial disparities associated with it. It is exactly the pro-child, pro-family, anti-racist policy we need.

I ask you to:

Co-sponsor Rep. Neal's bill and the CTC's inclusion in the American Rescue Act if GOP Senators filibuster the stand-alone bill before the filibuster is reformed.
Propose any phasing out of payments be based on total family income above at least $150,000 and not parents' tax filing status, because the cost of caring for a child remains the same irrespective of parents' marital status.

Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)

Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

You have the opportunity to show you care about families by voting for Rep. Neal's CTC bill. I'm puzzled by reports that Republicans worry about spending money on children and families. CTC money would be spent on children's needs, going directly into the economy to strengthen it, whereas the stealth tax cuts for the wealthy that were added to the last covid bill at the last moment do not help most children and families or the economy. I will note whether your vote is pro- or anti-child and family when the bill comes to a committee on which you sit and to the floor.

Script for Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)

Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Biden's child tax credit and Rep. Neal's stand-alone bill would both decrease child poverty and reduce racial disparities associated with it. It is exactly the pro-child, pro-family, anti-racist policy we need.

I ask you to:

Co-sponsor Rep. Neal's bill and the CTC's inclusion in the American Rescue Act if GOP Senators filibuster the stand-alone bill before the filibuster is reformed.
Propose any phasing out of payments be based on total family income above at least $150,000 and not parents' tax filing status, because the cost of caring for a child remains the same irrespective of parents' marital status.

Script for Peter DeFazio (OR-04)

Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Biden's child tax credit and Rep. Neal's stand-alone bill would both decrease child poverty and reduce racial disparities associated with it. It is exactly the pro-child, pro-family, anti-racist policy we need.

I ask you to:

Co-sponsor Rep. Neal's bill and the CTC's inclusion in the American Rescue Act if GOP Senators filibuster the stand-alone bill before the filibuster is reformed.
Propose any phasing out of payments be based on total family income above at least $150,000 and not parents' tax filing status, because the cost of caring for a child remains the same irrespective of parents' marital status.

Script for Kurt Schrader (OR-05)

Salem office: 503-588-9100 | DC office: 202-225-5711

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Biden's child tax credit and Rep. Neal's stand-alone bill would both decrease child poverty and reduce racial disparities associated with it. It is exactly the pro-child, pro-family, anti-racist policy we need.

I ask you to:

Co-sponsor Rep. Neal's bill and the CTC's inclusion in the American Rescue Act if GOP Senators filibuster the stand-alone bill before the filibuster is reformed.
Propose any phasing out of payments be based on total family income above at least $150,000 and not parents' tax filing status, because the cost of caring for a child remains the same irrespective of parents' marital status.

Action 3 - Expand Indivisible Oregon’s reach

Want to help us expand our reach? Send the link to our Daily Actions at www.indivisibleor.org to friends and family with GOP Senators and/or Congress people and ask them to make calls. They can use Rep. Bentz's scripts for their GOP representatives.