Support universal school meals

 

Support universal school meals

On Jan. 4, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Education will consider An Act Relative to Universal School Meals (H.714/S.314), providing universal school meals in K-12. I ask that you contact your state lawmakers in support of this effort.

Federal pandemic funding is currently providing this nationally, but will expire. This bill recognizes the value of continuing this as an effort to fight hunger and improve educational outcomes. It helps level the playing field for all, just as every student has access to the same books or seeing the same nurse or guidance counselors.

Food insecurity is often underreported here on the Cape. A family may make an income that does not qualify them for free or reduced meals in school. With the high cost of housing, utilities and more, they may well be food insecure. Please take a moment to support this effort for all our kids.

Steven Leibowitz, Brewster

Child hunger rates are down 24%

 

About one month ago, the first payments of the child tax credit went out to millions of families. For the first time in U.S. history, families with kids are getting monthly payments to help cover the costs of raising a child—which is an investment that’ll make our country and economy stronger.

And now that the first round of payments is out, the research is clear: Families with kids are using pandemic relief to buy more food.

Before the first round of tax credit payments hit bank accounts in mid-July, about 11% of households with children reported that they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat in the past week.

After the payments were distributed, the rate dropped to just over 8%. This is a decrease of nearly 24%, which is the lowest rate recorded since the beginning of the pandemic. ^[1]

No doubt about it: The child tax credit is cutting child poverty while making it easier for families to put food on the table—which will make our economy stronger for years to come.

But if you’re a child in a single parent household, your parent is less likely to get this critical tax credit. And in some cases, they may even get a smaller amount than children who are living in families with two parents.

As one of the only single moms in Congress, I’m proud to be in Washington fighting for working families—including working families headed by single parents—because all our children deserve the same amount of support from their government.

Thank you for all that you do,

Katie

 

^{[1] https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/12/child-tax-credit-hunger-rates-504258}

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F--- that

 

Here's what I have to say about a system of structural racism that mass incarcerates millions, lets children go hungry, makes seniors go without care they need, and forces redlined communities to live in buildings and go to schools that are falling apart:

And the Republican-negotiated, bipartisan infrastructure package does not go far enough to address all of that. Not even close.

We're fighting for our lives, our homes, and our families. Just this past weekend, a giant fire erupted in the Gulf of Mexico after a pipeline leak (see picture below). The catastrophe is staring us right in the face.

Now isn’t the time to negotiate or compromise. Now is the moment to go big or go home.

We need an infrastructure package that truly addresses and repairs the impacts of environmental racism. We need a package that meets the needs of communities like mine, in neighborhoods in the Bronx, Yonkers, Mount Vernon and more — communities that have been neglected for decades by design. We need broadband access, child care, support for seniors and those with disabilities, low-income housing retrofits, and modernized schools so kids can learn in sustainable, healthy environments.

We've got to go big, and take it to another level. We've got to deliver and get this done for our communities. So why on earth are we wasting time trying to compromise with Republicans?

President Biden ran on a platform on climate justice and on racial justice. He had progressives across the country organizing in support of him — not only to help him get the White House, but also to help Democrats win the Senate. And this is where we are.

Look. If we do not fight for our communities and put them in the center of the work we do — if we continue to prioritize the myth of "bipartisanship" over the people we were elected to fight for and represent in Washington — we will lose elections. If we want to maintain control and the opportunity to do great work beyond 2022, Democrats need to deliver in this very moment.

Now as we look toward the reconciliation process around this infrastructure package in the Senate, I'm committed to pushing as hard as I can for climate and racial justice. My priorities are with getting communities like mine back on our feet — not with compromising with Republicans.

That's why you can count on me to always hold folks like Senator Joe Manchin and President Biden accountable to making sure that this bill passes — as we intended, without compromise.

Enough is enough. If you're with me, can I count on you to chip in $3 and support my leadership in Congress as I continue this fight?

Thank you,

Jamaal Bowman

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