February 2010 Conference Call: Health Reform and Low-Income Tax Credits are Key to Economic Recovery


February 17, 2010
by Meredith Dodson, Director of U.S. Poverty Campaigns

On our February national conference call, Monica Mills of Bread for the World clearly and effectively laid out the case for protecting and strengthening tax credits for the poor in 2010. She reminded us that President Obama has set a goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015. However, ending hunger will require more than just strengthening nutrition assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps); a broad effort to reduce poverty must be part of it. Families need more income to avoid hunger and poverty and other expenses like housing, utilities and particularly health care take up significant portions of the family budget. Mills noted that if the temporary expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) made in the economic recovery bill last year are allowed to expire this year, 7 million people would lose the EITC and 6 million children would lose the CTC. It is therefore vital that we push all members of Congress to protect and strengthen low-income tax credits, and pass health reform, now rather than later.

TAKE ACTION: Take the February Action. Write a letter to your representatives and senators urging them to pass health reform and expansions to low-income tax credits in 2010. Remind them that these investments will help millions of individuals and families struggling in poverty, help create jobs, and revive our economy.

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