At the end of December, because of two Democrats in the Senate (Manchin and Sinema), the Child Tax Credit ended. Millions of families lost a monthly benefit that had lifted them out of poverty and gave them hope.
Millions of children are going to bed cold and hungry as a direct result of our failure to bring our caucus into line and get enough votes to pass this plan.
Every time we attack progressives, every time we argue that moderates should have control, that they should have power, that they should win primaries because they won’t scare away independents, there is a real world, devastating effect on human beings in need.
The instinct is to blame Republicans. But we know who they are. We know they want the poor to suffer. We know they especially want Black and Brown kids to suffer. They would be irrelevant if it were not for Democrats in the Senate who lied to their own party, undermined the President, and betrayed their own promises to the House.
Millions of children, back in poverty. Millions of parents, back into despair. This is entirely on us, and we cannot expect people in poverty to show up at the polls when they know that the party they thought had their back stabbed them all in the back and then moved on. President Biden has a moral and political obligation to turn this around and get this done. He promised Progressives in the House he would get it done. He gave his word, and he must keep it.