Economic Dignity for All

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, we know that our families can't afford the basics right now. Their electricity and gas bills are out of control. Their water bills are out of control. Don't get me started about their auto and home insurance. It is all out of control. Grocery costs are up 28 percent, healthcare costs are up and out of control, and it is even worse for those family members who are sick.

Our families can't afford the basics. Everyone in this Chamber can agree to that. There is an affordability crisis in our country, and the corporations and billionaires driving up these costs don't care. They not only don't care, they were also rewarded with a big tax break in the betrayal bill.

This is why it is important to understand that this is a policy choice, that many of our families feel like they are intentionally being put in survivor mode instead of being able to thrive.

I know that right now nearly one in five children in Michigan live below the poverty line, Madam Speaker, and 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

I am not going to wait for President Trump to keep his promise to address the cost of living in this country. I am going to help and push back and introduce the economic dignity for all agenda, a plan to tackle the high cost of living in our country.

We need to ensure that in every family in every single corner in our country, a child has resources that they need to live and thrive in our country, not just hope to survive.

This plan includes the End Child Poverty Act, the Baby Bonus Act, and the BOOST Act. The End Child Poverty Act would provide a universal child benefit of $458 per child per month. It would bring us closer to a nation where all children have the opportunity to flourish, not just grow. This plan will make it easy for our families to afford the basics. I hear it from them: Formula, diapers, and childcare are all out of control. It will provide, again, a long-overdue safety net for our families.

We know right now this bill, the End Child Poverty Act, is estimated to cut child poverty by 50 percent according to the People's Policy Project, and it will cut deep child poverty by 70 percent.

The second bill, a part of the plan, is the Baby Bonus Act, which would provide every family with $2,000 upon the birth of their child, bringing economic stability to households through timely and flexible assistance at a pivotal moment for a child's development.

The birth of a new child is often a time of increased economic insecurity. Families face new expenses of childcare, diapers, baby clothes, and more, while many parents must take time off leading up to and following the birth of a newborn. Without universal childcare, parents are often forced to choose between healing, caring for their newborn, and keeping their job.

As a founder of the Congressional Mamas' Caucus, it is time we listened to mothers who are urging our government to focus on families.

Roughly 134,000 families are driven into poverty annually because of the cost of childcare alone. This is not surprising when countless families are one job loss, disability, and emergency away from crushing financial hardship.

Finally, part of the plan includes the BOOST Act. It is one of my district's favorites. It is the Building Our Opportunities to Survive and Thrive Act. It would provide $250 per month to adults between the ages of 19 to 67 years old, promoting economic security for all.

Studies show that this is effective. What is not effective is continuing to give billionaires big tax breaks. Again, that doesn't impact our families in a positive way.

While costs for necessities like housing, groceries, healthcare, and education increase annually, wages fail to keep up. We all know this in this Chamber. It puts many of our families in economic insecurity. An unexpected expense like medical bills should not be a threat to a family's financial livelihood. It is important that we start looking at new ways. Regular cash assistance would make a tremendous difference to families literally on the edge of poverty and struggling to pay their bills.

Everyone in our country deserves human dignity.

We know that corporate greed is driving costs up and creating this affordability crisis, so we need to push back. If my colleagues in Congress are serious and wanting to improve the lives of the American people, they should stop corporate giveaways and support and pass the economic dignity for all plan.

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