Biden’s Baby Bonanza

Has Joe Biden just found his way to the hearts of voters from Lakewood to Monsey?

In his first speech to Congress last week, the president laid out a vision for America that was straight out of the progressive left — with policies on child tax credits and paid maternity leave that could ease the burden on the country’s hard-pressed parents.

The Biden administration had already expanded child tax credits temporarily as part of the coronavirus relief bill. In the 2021 tax year, the administration will distribute $300 per month for every child under age 6, as well as $250 for children aged 6 to 17. The idea is that instead of a tax allowance, parents will get a check every month or financial quarter, the rationale being that struggling families will get far more help from monthly checks than from a year-end tax allowance. This proposal is estimated to cost $1 billion annually.

Biden now wants to expand what was intended as a one-time relief measure until at least 2025. As with most of the administration’s proposals, this would significantly increase government spending. At least half the lawmakers in Congress are expected to oppose it. One can’t help but wonder what the voters will have to say about this ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.