“There is a strong return on investment when we prioritize our nation’s families today,” says Davis. “At its core, this proposal is a plan for our nation, as well as the millions of families impacted by the dual economic and health crises, to rebuild and recover.”
Contact: Meredith Jorss, mjorss@strength.org
Washington, DC - The Biden Administration today unveiled the “American Families Plan,” a new proposal that would invest $1.8 trillion in social welfare and family assistance programs as well as tax cuts to lift millions of Americans out of poverty and into the middle class. Among its provisions, the proposed plan would expand access to healthy school meals and summer grocery benefits to reduce childhood hunger, provide relief to families through expanded tax credits, invest in early childhood through free preschool education and affordable childcare, and create more equity through investments in higher education for low-income students. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength Senior Vice President Lisa Davis:
“Share Our Strength is pleased to see this latest investment in children and families coming from the White House. At its core, this proposal is a plan for our nation and the millions of families struggling to make ends meet to rebuild and recover. While there will undoubtedly be a focus on the affordability of this proposal, the real focus should be on the strong return on investment when we prioritize our nation’s families today.
“It has been a lost year for many children, but the truth is, our country has left far too many kids behind for far too long. The nutrition provisions in this plan, like Summer EBT, which provides a modest grocery benefit in the summer for families whose children receive free low-cost school meals, and increased access to nutritious school meals will help build a more well-nourished nation where children, no matter their zip code or circumstances, are prepared to realize their potential, achieve their dreams and ready to compete in our economy.
“Another critical component of recovering from the pandemic is providing all of the necessary support to reduce poverty by rebuilding our nation’s workforce. Greater investments in childcare and paid leave, for example, will help support families as they get back to work.
“Share Our Strength looks forward to working with the Administration and Congress to make these investments a reality whether it's through the American Families Plan, Child Nutrition Reauthorization process or other vehicles for change.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 6 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.