大流行只会使处于经济阶梯底部的人的情况变得更糟。虽然全国各地的家庭都因许多基本商品和服务（尤其是食品、住所、衣服和汽油）价格上涨而受到沉重打击，但收入最低的人受到的打击最为严重。
自 2020 年 11 月以来，价格上涨了 6.8%，是过去 39 年来的最高年增长率。虽然过去几周汽油和家庭能源价格有所缓解，但其他商品和服务的价格仍在继续快速上涨。根据最近的盖洛普民意调查，收入低于 40,000 美元的家庭中有 71% 因通货膨胀而感到经济困难，而收入超过 100,000 美元的家庭中只有 29% 报告有类似的困难。
虽然没有帮助低收入家庭适应高通胀的具体计划，但国会正在考虑的大型社会福利和能源法案“重建更好”法案是我们帮助低收入家庭应对不断上涨的物价和能源的最佳机会。与大流行相关的持续经济痛苦。
最重要的变化之一是该法案将增加今年早些时候美国救援计划实施的儿童税收抵免。这些资金的损失目前将在月底到期，这将对数百万低收入家庭造成毁灭性打击，并使他们更难应对不断上涨的物价。
根据预算和政策优先中心最近对人口普查局数据的分析，大约 91% 的收入低于 35,000 美元的家庭报告称，他们将扩大的儿童税收抵免用于食品、服装、住房和公用事业等基本开支.这些家庭中有 40% 用他们的付款来支付教育费用，如教科书和用品、学费和课外活动。
虽然“重建更好”法案只会为许多家庭将扩大的儿童税收抵免延长一年，但它仍将为与通货膨胀作斗争的美国人提供必要的救济，并为进一步延长提供条件。它还将使该国的儿童贫困率减少约 40%。
该法案包括支持低收入工薪家庭的其他投资，包括为所有 3 岁和 4 岁儿童提供免费学前教育，以及为不在美国抚养孩子的低收入工人扩大收入所得税抵免。家。该法案还将提供四个星期的带薪探亲假和病假，扩大获得医疗保健的机会，增加住房券的数量，并提高低收入学生的佩尔补助金上限。
我们正日益成为一个能够在不作出牺牲的情况下处理经济不确定性的人和无法应对的国家。通过房屋重建计划将向低收入工薪家庭发出强烈信息，即政府希望帮助保护他们免受价格上涨的影响，并维持他们支付房租和去看医生的能力。
有些人可能会争辩说，政府负担不起提供这些福利。但现实是，我们无法承受因经济因素无法控制而遭受苦难的家庭。
This is our best chance to help low-income Americans deal with rising inflation
The pandemic has only made things worse for those at the bottom of the economic ladder. While families across the country have been hit hard by rising prices for many essential goods and services — especially for food, shelter, clothing and gasoline — those with the lowest incomes are being hit the hardest.
Prices have increased by 6.8% since November 2020, the highest annual rate in the last 39 years. While there has been some relief in gasoline and home energy prices over the last few weeks, prices for other goods and services are continuing to increase rapidly. And according to a recent Gallup poll, 71% of households with incomes of less than $40,000 are feeling financial hardship from inflation, while only 29% of families with incomes of more than $100,000 reported similar difficulties.
While there is no specific program to help low-income families adjust to high inflation, the Build Back Better bill, the large social welfare and energy bill being considered by Congress, is our best chance at helping low-income families deal with rising prices and the continuing economic pain associated with the pandemic.
Among the most important changes is that the bill would extend increases to the child tax credit that the American Rescue Plan put in place earlier this year. The loss of those funds, which currently expire at the end of the month, would be devastating to millions of low-income families and would make it much harder for them to address rising prices.
About 91% of families with incomes of less than $35,000, according to a recent analysis of Census Bureau data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, have reported using their expanded child tax credit payments for basic expenses like food, clothing, housing and utilities. And 40% of these families used their payments to cover education costs, like schoolbooks and supplies, tuition and after-school programs.
While the Build Back Better bill would only extend the expanded child tax credit for one year for many families, it would still provide needed relief for Americans struggling with inflation and would set the stage for further extensions. It would also reduce child poverty in the country by about 40%.
The bill includes other investments that would support low-income working families, including providing free pre-school for all 3- and 4-year-olds, and extending the expanded earned income tax credit for low-paid workers who are not raising children at home. The bill would also provide four weeks of paid family and medical leave, expand access to medical care, increase the number of housing vouchers, and raise the maximum Pell grant for low-income students.
We are increasingly becoming a nation of those who can handle economic uncertainty without sacrifice and those who cannot. Passing the Build Back Better bill would send a strong message to low-income working families that the government wants to help protect them from rising prices and sustain their ability to pay rent and go to the doctor.
Some might argue that the government can't afford to provide these benefits. But the reality is we cannot afford to fail families who are suffering due to economic factors that are out of their control.
