[ti:Biden’s COVID Spending Plan Could Cut US Child Poverty in Half] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The $1.9 trillion spending plan signed into law [00:04.68]by United States President Joe Biden Thursday [00:08.32]provides more than just aid for the coronavirus health crisis. [00:14.48]Some experts say it could cut the country's rate of child poverty in half. [00:22.08]"This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country," [00:27.44]Biden said as he signed the bill in the Oval Office. [00:33.24]More than half of the money will go directly to Americans. [00:38.80]Some will receive as much as $1,400. [00:44.96]Others will receive payments related to job losses, food, [00:50.24]housing, health and child care. [00:55.24]The rest will assist businesses, schools [00:59.08]and state and local governments affected by the coronavirus health crisis. [01:06.08]In addition to the direct payments, the legislation, [01:09.80]called the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, [01:14.12]would create a refundable tax credit of $3,600 [01:19.76]for one year for children under 6 years of age, [01:23.56]and $3,000 for children between 6 and 17. [01:30.48]Beginning in July, money will be sent to some families in monthly payments. [01:37.84]The law also expands existing tax credits for people with costs [01:43.32]related to the care of children and dependents. [01:48.40]The research organization Urban Institute [01:51.60]estimated that it will reduce poverty by more than one-third [01:55.76]and by more than half for children in the year 2021. [02:01.80]The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University estimated [02:07.24]that the law will cause nearly 12 million Americans [02:10.84]including more than 5 million children not to be considered poor. [02:17.08]"It's a huge change," said Sarah Halpern-Meekin [02:21.16]of the Institute for Research on Poverty. [02:25.80]She compared the legislation to the Social Security Act of 1935. [02:32.72]That law established the system of retirement payments for older Americans [02:38.60]which is paid for by the social security tax. [02:43.40]A study from the Tax Policy Center [02:46.08]estimated that the law will raise the income of the poorest Americans [02:51.00]by about 20 percent after they have paid taxes. [02:56.52]The center noted that 70 percent of the tax savings [03:00.84]will go to those making $91,000 or less. [03:06.88]The bill received no support from Republican lawmakers. [03:12.64]However, a public opinion study from the Pew Research Center [03:17.08]suggests a large majority of Americans, 70 percent, support the legislation. [03:25.44]Speaking after the House of Representatives' vote on Wednesday [03:29.72]to pass the bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, [03:34.08]"This is the most consequential legislation [03:37.28]that many of us will ever be a party to." [03:41.48]She added, "We celebrate because we are honoring [03:45.32]a promise made by our president, [03:47.88]and we join with him in promising that help is on the way." [03:53.36]House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy denounced the bill [03:57.68]as an attempt to expand "socialism" in the country. [04:03.64]He said it is a list of liberal proposals [04:06.92]that existed before the coronavirus health crisis. [04:11.68]He said it did not meet the needs of American families. [04:17.40]As it is written, the law will be in effect until the end of the year. [04:23.80]Robert Doar is president of the research organization [04:28.08]American Enterprise Institute. [04:31.68]He said sending money to families will not solve the problems [04:36.40]related to child poverty. [04:39.80]Doar wrote, "by sending out regular checks...the new proposals [04:44.64]would undermine the structures in our safety net [04:47.96]that have promoted greater parental involvement, [04:51.00]increased work and training, [04:53.64]and stronger parenting by both parents." [04:58.20]Supporters of the new policy say [05:00.48]the payments would help children's development. [05:04.32]They say it is better to create a permanent policy to help the poor [05:09.60]similar to those offered in many European countries. [05:15.24]Indivar Dutta-Gupta is the co-executive director [05:18.92]of the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown Law School. [05:25.36]He said, "the president and those who have supported [05:28.56]expanding the child tax credit are putting Congress in the position" [05:33.44]of permitting the new law to end. [05:37.04]He said: "...if they do, child poverty rates [05:41.00]will roughly double on their watch..." [05:44.64]He added, "...or they can find a way to extend the provision." [05:50.68]I'm Jonathan Evans. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM