'Shaking Washington to its core': Child poverty increases by 41% in January

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The number of US children living in poverty increased considerably in January following the expiration of President Biden's expanded child benefit at the end of last year, according to a new study released on Thursday.

According to a new study revealed on Thursday, the number of American children living in poverty increased considerably in January following the expiration of President Biden's enlarged child benefit at the end of last year.

The child poverty rate jumped from 12 percent in December 2021 to 17 percent last month, according to Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy, a 41 percent increase.

The report added that an additional 3.7 million children are now living in poverty compared to the end of December, highlighting the fact that the poverty rate spikes among Black and Latino youngsters.

Last March, Democrats in Congress passed a bill extending the Child Tax Credit from July through the end of 2021. Almost all households in the United States received payments of $250 per month for children aged 6 to 17 and $300 per month for kids under the age of 6, though the benefits were phased off for wealthier families.

The annual cost of the initiative was estimated to be around $120 billion. According to federal figures, more than 61 million children in around 36 million households got the payment in December.

Biden's enhanced Child Tax Credit has been vehemently opposed by Republicans, and Washington has pivoted away from epidemic spending as lawmakers seek to contain the greatest inflationary spike in four decades.

The program's expiration now threatens to derail what White House officials claim as a possible legacy achievement for President Obama. Instead, the number of children living in poverty increased from 8.9 million in December 2021 to 12.6 million in January of this year.

Paolo Mastrangelo, head of policy and government affairs for Humanity Forward, said: Today’s report should shake Washington to its core. … This is not a moment for staking out political positions. Congress needs to compromise on a targeted, monthly child tax credit that will reverse these grievous losses.”