Biden: Promises Kept / Promises Broken: on Welfare & Poverty

Joe Biden: Gave up on $15 minimum wage in Congressional bills

PROMISE BROKEN: (CNN March 6, 2021): The Senate bill does not include an increase in the federal minimum wage, which House Democrats proposed raising to $15 an hour. The parliamentarian ruled in late February that increasing the hourly threshold does not meet a strict set of guidelines needed to move forward in the reconciliation process.

OnTheIssues ANALYSIS: Progressives have said they will continue to fight for the increase, and the Biden White House continues to support a raise to $15/hour, including the "Raise the Wage Act" introduced in 2021.

Joe Biden: $880M for SNAP food stamps; let's increase to $3B

PROMISE KEPT: (CNN March 6, 2021): The Senate and House plans both extend the 15% increase in food stamp benefits through September, instead of having it expire at the end of June. They also contain $880 million for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, to help increase participation and temporarily improve benefits, among other measures. Biden called for investing $3 billion in the program.

Joe Biden: $20 billion for moratorium on evictions and foreclosures

PROMISE KEPT: (CNN March 6, 2021): Send roughly $20 billion to state and local governments to help low-income households cover back rent, rent assistance and utility bills. About $10 billion would be authorized to help struggling homeowners pay their mortgages, utilities and property taxes. The bills would provide $5 billion to help states and localities assist those at risk of experiencing homelessness and another $5 billion for emergency housing vouchers for those who are homeless.

Joe Biden: Expand the earned income tax credit

PROMISE MADE: (Darla Mercado on CNBC Jan 14 2021): The president-elect sought a one-year expansion of the earned income tax credit, a refundable credit available to low-income workers. Biden wants to raise the maximum earned income tax credit for childless adults to close to $1,500. He also wants to raise the income limit for the credit to approximately $21,000 from about $16,000. Finally, the president-elect wants to make the credit available to older workers, so he's proposing the elimination of the 65-year age cap.

PROMISE KEPT: (CNN March 6, 2021): [In the Senate stimulus plan]: The bills also enhance the earned income tax credit for workers without children by nearly tripling the maximum credit and extending eligibility to more people. The minimum age to claim the childless credit would be reduced to 19, from 25, and the upper age limit would be eliminated.