Inflation could be a major election issue for parents in 2024: NPR

Joseph Yusuf plays basketball with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, on March 29 in Alexandria, Virginia.

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Joseph Yusuf plays basketball with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, on March 29 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Any parent will tell you it's the hardest job, and many say it's gotten even harder. Because it's a daily expense It has been increasing in recent years.

Joseph Yusuf of Washington, D.C., is one of them. He spends every afternoon with his 11-year-old daughter Jakayla. She lives with her mother near her, and after school, Yusuf and Jakaira do homework together and sometimes play video games or shoot hoops.

He has a large support system, including his mother and grandmother, who help him with a full-time job and co-parenting Jakayla. But his rising costs are making it especially difficult for him.

Yusuf, who works as an events and facilities coordinator at Howard University, hopes to eventually start saving for college, but after paying her bills in recent months, she hasn't had any money left. That's what it means.

“Food, gas, car insurance, rent, everything. All of the above just went up in price. And, I'm not going to lie, I want to stress that,” he says. “There's a part of me that wants to break.”

Many Americans say there are economic pressures – especially inflation — is key to how they think about this year's election.Consumer prices are remained high Even though the job market is very stable in the United States.For example, in the case of groceries, families pay 25% more than before the pandemic.

Regen Selden has six children, ages 11 to 25, and the Philadelphia mother has been raising them for 25 years, but despite her increasing income, inflation has forced her to She said this has been one of the tougher financial times for her and her husband. money.

“I feel like it's more difficult now because even though the economy is the same compared to 25 years ago, it feels like things are more expensive,” she says. “So if I had to go back to those days, I would say we were doing better then than we are now.”

Selden said he hopes lawmakers address these financial pressures on families.

“At the end of the day, this is our future,” she says. “And if we don't make the right decisions now, we're basically going to wipe out an entire generation, because if we can't provide them with just the bare minimum, then where are they going to be? Is it going to go away? So I think that's definitely going to shape the way.'' I'd like to look at the upcoming election. ”

Child tax credit provided a solution during the pandemic

During the pandemic, many families received significant financial aid from the government.

From July to December 2021, the majority of U.S. households with children had the option to receive an advance payment of the Child Tax Credit, paid in monthly installments. This expansion also increased the amount of tax credits and made them refundable, which was a big help to low-income households.

Expanding the child tax credit alleviated some of the economic pressures facing millions of families.according to the study According to a Boston University professor, expanding the tax credit has lifted 3 million children out of poverty. And, according to the Center on Poverty and Social Policy, eliminate child poverty Increased by 43%.

Joseph Youssef plays basketball with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 29.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Joseph Youssef plays basketball with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 29.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the Children's Defense Fund, said the economic benefits to families have been far-reaching.

“My family used [child tax credit] “They used it for their families rather than saving it, but for basic payments to buy food,” he says. …We know that it helped stabilize food insecurity more than anything else. ”

Wilson said food insecurity rates decreased by almost 30% when eligible households started receiving the monthly payments. “So it’s meeting basic needs,” he says.

But Congress allowed that additional aid to expire, ending it as inflation continued to rise. Inflation is starting to subside, but families are still not catching up, Wilson said.

“As inflation eases, the economic situation of children and families is improving,” he says. “But we need to consider the fact that this vital support was taken away at a time when prices were still high, and parents have to recover from that.”

Alicia Gordon, founder and executive director of the Current Project, a nonprofit focused on Black single mothers, said what happened in 2021 is that the government has no way to provide meaningful support to families. He says this is proof that

“In the midst of a pandemic, we are really leveraging our imagination to think about how to reimagine processes like the Child Tax Credit, from one-time payments at the end of the tax year to multi-month payments that are expected to generate millions of dollars in payments. “We were able to move these children out of poverty,” Gordon said. “And when that ends, they all go back into poverty.”

political voice for parents

New initiatives are currently underway Re-expand the child tax creditbut not so generous Like during the pandemic.But like many things in Congress, it stagnated.

Wilson, of the Children's Defense Fund, said there doesn't seem to be much political will when it comes to policies that help parents of young children.

Joseph Yusuf sits with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, on a basketball court on March 29 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Joseph Yusuf sits with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, on a basketball court on March 29 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

“We haven’t really put it together at the parliamentary level,” he says. “Among lobbyists, young people end up at the bottom of the list because they don't yet have a strong consumer voice for them and don't have a vote within the franchise.”

But in recent years, some parents are getting organized.

Keri Rodriguez is the president of the National Parent Union, which was founded to give parents a collective voice in policy decisions.

Rodriguez said that in the United States, family needs are often given lip service, but parents are left out of important conversations.

She said families are embroiled in what she called “divisive political and culture wars” to distract from the severe economic pressures they face. Rodriguez said there is broad support for expanding the child tax credit, and she and others are fighting to keep it from expiring.

Gordon says there will be political costs if the growing economic needs of families continue to be ignored, especially in an election year.

“We are now in a very precarious position heading into 2024,” she says. “And in my circles and in conversations with Black women and Black single mothers, there's a real question of whether they're going to blindly extend the vote.”

“I would venture to say that I think there are a lot of people who are very interested in hearing real solutions to problems, rather than just paying lip service and hoping that politicians will get votes.” Gordon says.

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Joseph Yusuf plays basketball with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, on March 29 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Joseph Yusuf plays basketball with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, on March 29 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Any parent will tell you it's the hardest job, and many say it's gotten even harder. Because it's a daily expense It has been increasing in recent years. Joseph Yusuf of Washington, D.C., is one of them. He spends every afternoon with his 11-year-old daughter Jakayla. She lives with her mother near her, and after school, Yusuf and Jakaira do homework together and sometimes play video games or shoot hoops. He has a large support system, including his mother and grandmother, who help him with a full-time job and co-parenting Jakayla. But his rising costs are making it especially difficult for him. Yusuf, who works as an events and facilities coordinator at Howard University, hopes to eventually start saving for college, but after paying her bills in recent months, she hasn't had any money left. That's what it means.

“Food, gas, car insurance, rent, everything. All of the above just went up in price. And, I'm not going to lie, I want to stress that,” he says. “There's a part of me that wants to break.” Many Americans say there are economic pressures – especially inflation — is key to how they think about this year's election.Consumer prices are remained high Even though the job market is very stable in the United States.For example, in the case of groceries, families pay 25% more than before the pandemic.

Regen Selden has six children, ages 11 to 25, and the Philadelphia mother has been raising them for 25 years, but despite her increasing income, inflation has forced her to She said this has been one of the tougher financial times for her and her husband. money. “I feel like it's more difficult now because even though the economy is the same compared to 25 years ago, it feels like things are more expensive,” she says. “So if I had to go back to those days, I would say we were doing better then than we are now.” Selden said he hopes lawmakers address these financial pressures on families.

“At the end of the day, this is our future,” she says. “And if we don't make the right decisions now, we're basically going to wipe out an entire generation, because if we can't provide them with just the bare minimum, then where are they going to be? Is it going to go away? So I think that's definitely going to shape the way.'' I'd like to look at the upcoming election. ” Child tax credit provided a solution during the pandemic During the pandemic, many families received significant financial aid from the government. From July to December 2021, the majority of U.S. households with children had the option to receive an advance payment of the Child Tax Credit, paid in monthly installments. This expansion also increased the amount of tax credits and made them refundable, which was a big help to low-income households. Expanding the child tax credit alleviated some of the economic pressures facing millions of families.according to the study According to a Boston University professor, expanding the tax credit has lifted 3 million children out of poverty. And, according to the Center on Poverty and Social Policy, eliminate child poverty Increased by 43%.

Joseph Youssef plays basketball with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 29.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Joseph Youssef plays basketball with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 29.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the Children's Defense Fund, said the economic benefits to families have been far-reaching. “My family used [child tax credit] “They used it for their families rather than saving it, but for basic payments to buy food,” he says. …We know that it helped stabilize food insecurity more than anything else. ” Wilson said food insecurity rates decreased by almost 30% when eligible households started receiving the monthly payments. “So it’s meeting basic needs,” he says.

But Congress allowed that additional aid to expire, ending it as inflation continued to rise. Inflation is starting to subside, but families are still not catching up, Wilson said. “As inflation eases, the economic situation of children and families is improving,” he says. “But we need to consider the fact that this vital support was taken away at a time when prices were still high, and parents have to recover from that.” Alicia Gordon, founder and executive director of the Current Project, a nonprofit focused on Black single mothers, said what happened in 2021 is that the government has no way to provide meaningful support to families. He says this is proof that

“In the midst of a pandemic, we are really leveraging our imagination to think about how to reimagine processes like the Child Tax Credit, from one-time payments at the end of the tax year to multi-month payments that are expected to generate millions of dollars in payments. “We were able to move these children out of poverty,” Gordon said. “And when that ends, they all go back into poverty.” political voice for parents New initiatives are currently underway Re-expand the child tax creditbut not so generous Like during the pandemic.But like many things in Congress, it stagnated. Wilson, of the Children's Defense Fund, said there doesn't seem to be much political will when it comes to policies that help parents of young children.

Joseph Yusuf sits with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, on a basketball court on March 29 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Kellen Carrion/NPR

Joseph Yusuf sits with his daughter Jakayla Morton, 11, on a basketball court on March 29 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kellen Carrion/NPR

“We haven’t really put it together at the parliamentary level,” he says. “Among lobbyists, young people end up at the bottom of the list because they don't yet have a strong consumer voice for them and don't have a vote within the franchise.” But in recent years, some parents are getting organized. Keri Rodriguez is the president of the National Parent Union, which was founded to give parents a collective voice in policy decisions. Rodriguez said that in the United States, family needs are often given lip service, but parents are left out of important conversations. She said families are embroiled in what she called “divisive political and culture wars” to distract from the severe economic pressures they face. Rodriguez said there is broad support for expanding the child tax credit, and she and others are fighting to keep it from expiring. Gordon says there will be political costs if the growing economic needs of families continue to be ignored, especially in an election year.

“We are now in a very precarious position heading into 2024,” she says. “And in my circles and in conversations with Black women and Black single mothers, there's a real question of whether they're going to blindly extend the vote.” “I would venture to say that I think there are a lot of people who are very interested in hearing real solutions to problems, rather than just paying lip service and hoping that politicians will get votes.” Gordon says.

https://npr.org/2024/04/06/1242873226/parents-inflation-election-2024 Inflation could be a major election issue for parents in 2024: NPR