Baltimore mayor’s guaranteed income pilot will help 200; a restored child tax credit can help the rest

Mayor Brandon Scott recently announced his guaranteed income pilot program (“Baltimore to provide monthly income of $1000 for 200 young parents through pilot program,” April 20), He calls it an “innovative solution” to our city’s tragic number of struggling, low-income families. The Baltimore Sun’s article covering the story explains that $1000 will be paid monthly to 200 young parents. It appears all those parents have to do is earn at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, have at least one child, apply, and get selected by lottery.

But doesn’t this sound familiar? Back in 2021, just a few months ago, every American family who earned at or below a certain threshold qualified for the child tax credit! Those payments, paid monthly, provided critical relief to low-income families. They “improved the quality of life” for many, as the mayor says. Columbia University’s Center for Poverty and Social Policy reports that nearly 4 million children were lifted out of poverty during the life of the child tax credit. That is wonderful news that we taxpayers should feel proud of!

Now, however, the child tax credit payments have ended. Most of those children have fallen back into poverty. On top of that, inflation is costing the average American family $296 per month. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the child tax credit does not cause inflation. Rather, it could help families face inflation. The average CTC payment last year was $444 monthly, offering a critical cushion to struggling families.

Mayor Scott’s guaranteed income pilot will help 200 families and is a fine idea, but what about all the other families who are still struggling? Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, Congressmen Kweisi Mfume, Paul Sarbanes and Dutch Ruppersberger, please put on your most persuasive suits and use your most impassioned voices to convince your leadership to restore the child tax credit.

— Jan Kleinman, Baltimore