Poor children deserve a question in the presidential debates

The Issue

No child living in America today should have to worry about whether they’ll have a place to sleep at night or enough food to eat. But these are daily realities for the 1 in 6 poor children in this country. Children like me.

Growing up on the North Side of Minneapolis, I know what it means to struggle. I’ve been homeless, spending school nights sleeping on park benches. I’ve been hungry, not knowing where my next meal would come from. I know what it means to have to work to support your family when you need to be focusing on school. And I know that other kids shouldn’t have to face these struggles. Every child in America should be able to focus on learning, growing, and just being a kid.

Did you know it’s been 20 years since there was a question about how to address child poverty in a presidential debate? But a child is born into poverty every minute in this country. Those children will face hunger, homelessness, illness, violence and toxic stress. And those children deserve answers about how the next president of the United States is going to make sure they get a fair shot at a better life.

Ignoring this issue on the national debate stage sends a signal that children living in poverty are not a priority. To fix the problem, we need to put a spotlight on it.

That’s why I’m calling for a question in the presidential debates about child poverty. I want to know what the next president is going to do to make sure the next generation won’t struggle like I did. Will you join me? Please sign the petition today. 

avatar of the starter
Israel Glenn with the Children’s Defense FundPetition Starter
Media inquiries
Confirmed victory
This petition made change with 78,483 supporters!

The Issue

No child living in America today should have to worry about whether they’ll have a place to sleep at night or enough food to eat. But these are daily realities for the 1 in 6 poor children in this country. Children like me.

Growing up on the North Side of Minneapolis, I know what it means to struggle. I’ve been homeless, spending school nights sleeping on park benches. I’ve been hungry, not knowing where my next meal would come from. I know what it means to have to work to support your family when you need to be focusing on school. And I know that other kids shouldn’t have to face these struggles. Every child in America should be able to focus on learning, growing, and just being a kid.

Did you know it’s been 20 years since there was a question about how to address child poverty in a presidential debate? But a child is born into poverty every minute in this country. Those children will face hunger, homelessness, illness, violence and toxic stress. And those children deserve answers about how the next president of the United States is going to make sure they get a fair shot at a better life.

Ignoring this issue on the national debate stage sends a signal that children living in poverty are not a priority. To fix the problem, we need to put a spotlight on it.

That’s why I’m calling for a question in the presidential debates about child poverty. I want to know what the next president is going to do to make sure the next generation won’t struggle like I did. Will you join me? Please sign the petition today. 

avatar of the starter
Israel Glenn with the Children’s Defense FundPetition Starter
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

Joe Sestak
Joe Sestak
Responded
“Presidential candidates absolutely should be asked about child poverty. No child deserves to grow up poor. This is an issue I care deeply about, and one on which I worked extensively as a Congressman. Most importantly, I pushed hard to expand a pilot school lunch program from Philadelphia to the entire country, and I’m proud that it is now a part of the National School Lunch Program, known as the Community Eligibility Provision. It provides free lunches to every student in low-income communities, because the paperwork required to apply as a family for free school lunches was proving too high a barrier for too many hungry children. Over 13 million kids now get free school lunches automatically. In my current presidential campaign platform, I push for a range of policies to alleviate the burden of poverty, including increasing funding for subsidized housing, increasing the minimum wage, and increasing nutrition assistance across the board. I also support universal pre-K for all 4-year-olds and subsidized child care so that all Americans can access daycare, because parents of young children living in poverty need support to enable them to get out of the house and work. Additionally, I support a transition to universal healthcare, because spiraling healthcare costs are a major driver of poverty in America today. Finally, a centerpiece of my campaign is the fight against climate change, which must begin by re-joining the Paris Accords and re-asserting US leadership to make sure we not only hit our emissions reduction targets, but that we strengthen them, and support countries around the world to do the same. Climate change hits poor and marginalized people first and worst, and children inevitably suffer the most, so we must do everything we can to stabilize the climate, for the sake of countless children in the future.”
U.S. Senate
4 Members
2 Responded
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senate - Minnesota
“I believe we need an America that’s as good as its promise for every single child and I am committed to cutting child poverty in half within a decade and ending it within a generation. To lift millions of children in our country out of poverty, I released a plan based on a National Academies of Sciences report to expand the earned income tax credit, the child care tax credit, and nutrition benefits and to increase affordable housing opportunities. October 2019 will mark 20 years since presidential candidates have been asked on a debate stage to outline their plans to combat child poverty. I strongly support the work of the Children’s Defense Fund and believe that a question on child poverty should be asked in the next debate.”
Cory Booker
Cory Booker
U.S. Senate - New Jersey
“Thank you for your tireless work to give this issue the attention it demands. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate. Today in America, one in six children are in households with incomes below the federal poverty line — or about $25,000 per year for a family of four. For these kids, the odds are stacked against them from the very start; growing up without enough income to afford the basics is linked to problems with brain development, lower educational attainment, reduced long-term earnings, worse health outcomes, and greater likelihood of interacting with the criminal justice system. Eliminating poverty isn’t just a moral calling; we all lose when not everyone can participate in our economy. Every candidate running for president should make clear where they stand. That’s why I introduced an entire plan dedicated to combating child poverty in America. First, I would fight to ensure that every child lives in a household that can afford its basic needs. I propose a massive “child allowance” for families with kids, expansion and modernization of SNAP, an overhaul of the TANF program, and a host of policies to expand affordable housing and end child homelessness. Second, my plan outlines steps to make work a real pathway out of poverty, including through a $15 minimum wage, pay equity, reimagining of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and essential work supports like quality, affordable child care. Finally, my plan breaks down barriers to access by modernizing program delivery and ensuring that all kids can benefit from the services they need. All told, Columbia University researchers found my plan would cut child poverty by at least two-thirds — lifting 7.3 million kids out of poverty. I am proud to stand alongside all of you to ensure that every kid gets a fair shot.”
Michael Bennet
Michael Bennet
U.S. Senate - Colorado
Mike Bloomberg
Mike Bloomberg
Candidate for President
Responded
“It is unacceptable that nearly 12 million children live in poverty in the richest nation in the world. As president, I will make it a priority to lift up the lowest-income Americans who struggle to put food on the table for their children and make ends meet. It’s time to fix a system that sets up the most vulnerable among us to fail. My "All-In Economy" agenda will put more American families on a stable footing by boosting opportunities for employment and job training, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, reforming the Earned Income Tax Credit, ensuring paid family leave, and increasing the Child Tax Credit and making it fully refundable. My plan will put more parents in better-paying, higher-quality jobs and target those communities that have been left behind, providing training and education to equip millions of adults with the skills and credentials needed for good, upwardly mobile jobs. To thrive, every child needs a decent home. My Greenwood Initiative to promote economic justice for Black Americans includes a $70 billion investment in the 100 most disadvantaged neighborhoods and a plan to create 1 million new Black homeowners. I’ll also increase funding for housing vouchers and make it easier for families to move to where the opportunities are. I’ll use tax incentives and new testing to encourage lead removal from homes. Furthermore, I will make it a priority to break the cycles of intergenerational poverty by investing in the critical area of early childhood education. I will ensure high-quality, affordable child care, helping more Black and Latina mothers enter the workforce. And I will bolster vital early childhood learning programs, including increasing funding for Head Start and Early Head Start, to put all children on a level playing field.”
Tom Steyer
Tom Steyer
Candidate for President
Responded
“More than half of those in extreme poverty are children. Protecting our children, our most vulnerable members of society, is not only urgent and critical; it is the right thing to do. Addressing child poverty in America must start with our economic structure. Trump’s tax cuts gave away billions to corporations, while working families struggle to pay for food, housing and child care costs. No child should have to worry about where their next meal will come from or where they will sleep at night. My economic agenda puts people over profits and prioritizes the policies that lift families out of poverty. I support increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and the minimum wage, and providing universal Pre-K and affordable healthcare for all families. I will fight to enact these policies. We must help lift millions of children out of poverty.”
Beto O'Rourke
Beto O'Rourke
Democratic presidential candidate
Responded
“Child poverty impacts the lives and futures of nearly 12 million children. As the wealthiest, most powerful country on earth, our failure to act on behalf of these children is unacceptable. As President, I will fight to ensure all children have their needs met and can live to their full potential, so they can focus on learning, playing, and growing. I will expand access to affordable housing, so no child is forced to live with the trauma of homelessness, and make the full Child Tax Credit available to low-income families so no child is forced to wonder where their next hot meal is coming from. I will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, expand access to quality childcare, and improve our unemployment insurance system so no child is left to absorb the stress of their family’s struggle to find a good job. I will achieve universal, guaranteed, high-quality health care through Medicare for America so every child in America has access to primary and mental health care. We will also build opportunities for their future. I will create a $500 billion Permanent Fund to close funding gaps based on race and income in schools, put higher education or paid training within reach, and protect their communities from the threat of climate change. We will only begin to reach solutions to end child poverty if we acknowledge the impact it is having on our country, and I encourage my peers to join me in calling for a debate question on this exact topic. Thanks to all of you for signing this petition.”

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Petition created on September 10, 2019