Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is backing legislation that would give families payments of $1,200 once a month over the course of five years.
The legislation Omar recently voiced her support for is the Sending Unconditional Payments to People Overcoming Resistances to Triumph Act, or the SUPPORT Act, which would also pay out $600 per month for every child over the five-year period. Omar argued that legislation from Minnesota could be used as a model for financial assistance for families, according to her op-ed from Star Tribune.
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"We need to continue to lead with love and compassion, to not shy away from the ideals that make the unfinished project of our republic great," Omar wrote. "As the late Minnesotan Vice President Hubert Humphrey said, 'It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.'"
Omar's legislation is possibly inspired by legislation from her state, in which Minnesota families earning less than $50,000 would be given $1,000 per child through the state child tax credit. These payments would be given to the families regardless of their tax liability.
Other legislation Omar is supporting is the End Child Poverty Act, which would replace both the child tax credit and the child provisions in the earned income tax credit with monthly payments of $393 per child. If the legislation is passed, the payments would be available to any family regardless of their level of income, and children would be automatically enrolled into the program at birth.
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Along with Omar, the End Child Poverty Act is supported by fellow Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI) and Jesus Garcia (IL).
Omar's support for both the End Child Poverty Act and the SUPPORT Act come in the wake of the expanded child tax credit returning to its original value. Under the expansion, the credit gave taxpayers who filed their taxes for the 2020 and 2021 tax years $3,600 for children 5 and under. It gave $3,000 for children ages 6 to 17.