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

Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg
Candidate for President
Responded
“Freedom, security, and democracy are values that we all share as Americans. We should ensure that our children can live in a world where these values are real. For our children, freedom means being able to access opportunities and pursue their dreams. Security means not having to worry about a roof over their heads or food to eat. Child poverty threatens our children’s freedom, security, and very existence, and it must stop. One of my priorities for tackling child poverty is housing. I have pledged to end homelessness for families with children. I will also prioritize ending youth homelessness by increasing federal investment in housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness and encouraging innovation and flexibility to address communities’ unique needs. I will expand the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants and pass the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act. My administration will also invest in other key resources for children. For example, we will increase food security by supporting school-based healthy food distribution models and increasing the Department of Agriculture’s funding for food hubs and mobile markets. I will make high-quality child care free for families most in need and affordable for all and will expand home visiting programs like the Nurse-Family Partnership. I will accelerate progress towards closing the pay gap and the wealth gap for women by requiring gender pay transparency, ensuring access to paid family leave, investing in woman-owned businesses, and building access to quality jobs in growing industries like computer science and construction. This will improve economic security for mothers and families. In addition, I will champion a variety of reforms that combat poverty for all Americans, including parents. These include raising the minimum wage to $15, ensuring that every family and child has access to affordable health care through Medicare for All Who Want It, and passing a Community Homestead Act to enable more families to own homes.”
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.”
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
Former U.S. Senator
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.”
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.”
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson
Responded
“With every election, with every campaign, we are deciding something extremely important. We are deciding what is possibly the fate of millions. The United States ranks at or near the bottom on almost every indicator regarding governmental policies toward children today. Millions of children lack consistent access to sufficient and nutritious food, millions lack health care, and millions go to schools lacking the school supplies needed to teach a child to read. A child who cannot read by the age of 8 has a drastically reduced chance of graduating from high school, and a drastically increased chance of incarceration. Toxic stress changes brain biology. Child poverty is one symptom of a rampant systemic infection we have failed to conscientiously manage. This is a humanitarian emergency. As the first woman President of the United States, I would be deeply aware of my pivotal role in ushering in a new era of female leadership. In addition to the establishment of a cabinet-level Department of Children and Youth, implementing integrated “wrap-around services” that focus on providing intensive family and community-based programs, I recognize that one in three American women are living on the brink of poverty. Women are not only breadwinners in the family, but they are often also the primary caregivers for their children. Consequently, there are few ways to improve families without improving the economic circumstances of women. It is not only supporting women economically but adopting their mindsets of protection of community and planet, that needs to be a priority for any White House, and certainly will be, with mine. I invite anyone interested to read my detailed plans on www.Marianne2020.com, and I whole-heartedly welcome the opportunity to discuss this question further on the debate stage. Thank you, Children’s Defense Fund, for recognizing the critical nature of this issue. Learn more: https://www.marianne2020.com/issues/child-advocacy https://www.marianne2020.com/issues/womens-rights https://www.marianne2020.com/issues/plan-for-a-u-s-department-of-children-and-youth”

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Petition created on September 10, 2019