Sara Jacobs: “I am proud to be here during Children's Week, alongside a number of my colleagues, to elevate the ongoing need to invest…”

“I am proud to be here during Children's Week, alongside a number of my colleagues, to elevate the ongoing need to invest in and support kids. This year, Children's Week comes at a time when we are facing critically important policy decisions that could lift millions of kids out of poverty. Over the last 2 years, Congress made the most significant investment in kids in decades. Legislation passed during the pandemic, including the expanded and improved child tax credit, which I was proud to for vote in the American Rescue Plan, increased the share of Federal spending on children by nearly 50 percent. But as emergency measures expire, children are experiencing a backslide. More than 3 million children have been pushed back into poverty since the expiration of the child tax credit. More than 6 million children are poised to lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage when the public health emergency is revoked. Thousands of school meal providers could be forced to shut down if child nutrition waivers expire at the end of this month, leaving millions of kids without healthy meals this summer. The expiration of these provisions comes at a time when children are navigating incredible challenges, including an epidemic of gun violence, a wave of anti-LGBTQ-plus legislation, and a mental health crisis. These examples serve as a reminder that every issue is a kids issue.…”