When it comes to childhood poverty, we cannot be silent.

As president, I will make it a priority to take action on behalf of our most vulnerable children and families. When it comes to child poverty, we cannot be silent.

This is personal to me, friend. My dad was born poor. He grew up in a small, segregated town in the mountains of North Carolina to a family that couldn’t care for him.

It was another local family that took him in and put a roof over his head. And later, members of his community helped pay tuition for his first semester of college.

They opened doors that he never even knew existed: he got a good job and worked hard, and moved his family from poverty to the middle class within the span of a single generation.

I believe we must show that same generosity and path to opportunity for all children living in America.

Today, I released a comprehensive new plan that would cut child poverty in America by nearly two-thirds. I believe that we can get this done. My plan proposes more than a dozen big ideas to lift kids and families out of poverty, including:

• Creating a “child allowance” for families with kids by expanding the Child Tax Credit to provide families with a $300 monthly allowance for younger kids and a $250 monthly allowance for older kids up to age 18.
• Eliminating child hunger by increasing the maximum SNAP benefit. My plan would also relieve all school lunch debt and fight for universal free school lunch — because no child should go hungry at school.
• Supporting low-income working families through affordable child care by fighting for legislation to make a sweeping federal investment in high quality child care so it’s affordable for all working families.

If you share my belief that we have a moral imperative to end child poverty, add your name here.

To my disappointment, these are issues that we haven’t been hearing about on the campaign trail this year. My plan is the first in this field to lay out a comprehensive vision for strengthening the federal safety net and ending child poverty.

Sign your name if you think it’s time that we treat this issue with the attention and urgency it deserves.

In the richest country in the world, we have a moral responsibility to look after each other and make sure that every child has the opportunity to grow and thrive.

Sincerely,
Cory