Civil Rights Groups Urge Schumer to Pass Social Spending and Climate Bill As Is

A coalition of civil rights groups, including the NAACP and National Urban League, has urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to pass the Democrats’ social spending and climate bill as is and has spoken out against amendments that would weaken the child tax credit.

“Now that the House has passed the Build Back Better Act, including a robust Child Tax Credit, it is time for the Senate to take this up,” the groups wrote in the letter obtained by Politico.

“The expanded monthly Child Tax Credit must be extended before the end of the year to give families the certainty that the payments will keep coming,” they added.

The groups noted that “we risk throwing millions of children back into poverty in 2022″ if the Build Back Better Act is not passed by the end of the year.

“Passing the Build Back Better Act provides a historic opportunity to reduce childhood poverty and continued support to the most vulnerable children, particularly in Black and Latino families,” they said.

Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) again took aim at the spending bill being championed by Democrats, writing in a tweet that killing the bill would be a great Christmas “gift” for the average American.

“For Christmas, the single biggest gift Washington Democrats could give to the American people is to kill this multi-trillion-dollar reckless taxing and spending bill. The last thing this country needs is more inflationary spending,” he wrote.

McConnell accompanied his post with a video of an appearance on Fox News in which he said it would be in “the best interest of the country” to “tank this reckless spending bill.”

McConnell has been widely criticized for delaying attempts by House and Senate Democrats to codify much of their economic and social policy agenda via a major spending bill.

The plan is part of efforts from the Democrats to respond to the climate crisis, invest in infrastructure and expand education, healthcare, and childcare.

It would constitute the largest broadening of the social safety net in years.

Alan Ryland

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.