“The proposal announced today is a game changer for millions of kids,” says Lisa Davis, Senior Vice President of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign. “It contains historic investments in critical programs that feed children, provide a ladder out of poverty and invest in a strong new generation.”
Contact: Meredith Jorss, mjorss@strength.org
WASHINGTON, DC - This morning, the White House released the framework for the revised Build Back Better Act, the budget reconciliation bill that contains one of the most transformative investments in children in decades. If enacted, these policies will protect vulnerable Americans, strengthen families, and provide the foundation for a strong, healthy, educated generation of children. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength Senior Vice President Lisa Davis.
“The proposal announced today is a game changer for millions of kids. It contains historic investments in critical programs that are helping to feed more kids than ever before - the expanded Child Tax Credit, Summer EBT and the Community Eligibility Provision. These programs are essential in feeding children, providing a ladder out of poverty and investing in a strong new generation.
“The revised Build Back Better Act will make significant progress in preventing child hunger both at school and during the summer months by:
- Creating a national Summer EBT program for two years to provide a $65 per child per month benefit to the families of 29 million children in need to purchase food during the summer,
- Expanding eligibility for free school meals to 8.7 million children in need for five years,
- Extending the expanded Child Tax Credit for an additional year, which will help the parents of nearly 90 percent of American kids pay for necessities like food, rent, diapers and utilities.
“This proposal isn’t perfect, but it is significant progress. While we would have liked to see these crucial benefits run for a longer period of time, this legislation is a critical step in the right direction. If enacted, it has the power to transform the lives of millions of children. This is especially important for children from Black and Latino households who are much more likely to face hunger. These policies provide inclusive, equitable access to meals and help erase stigma and provide support. The end result will be to help all kids get the food they need to grow up healthy and strong.
“The Build Back Better Act is our nation’s best opportunity to invest in kids and we urge Congress to come together quickly to pass it.”
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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.