No argument – however insulting or illogical – deters some Democrats from promoting more welfare benefits.
Take Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a vocal promoter of defunding and even abolishing the police. Long dismissive of rising crime rates and the culpability of policies she supports, she finally admitted that crime is surging. But instead of acknowledging the real causes of the crime wave, she blamed a novel culprit: “the child-tax credit just ran out, on December 31st, and now people are stealing baby formula.”
The increased child tax credit included in the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan expanded the benefit to include over 30 million households. For the first time, the policy also paid benefits to nonworking adults. As a result, the IRS turned into America’s leading welfare-benefit provider and effectively revived unconditional monthly federal welfare payments for the first time in a generation.
The Democrats’ trillion-dollar Build Back Better plan would have continued these monthly payments, despite public opposition to making them permanent. But the legislation collapsed, leaving AOC to argue that the expiration of these temporary welfare checks is the real driver behind rising crime in America.
Hellbound and Down 