States claim the stimulus law assaults state sovereignty by barring local governments from using aid money to cut taxes. But the Supreme Court has consistently approved conditions on federal spending.
Keeping kids above the poverty line contributes to their stability in adulthood.
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For middle-class and wealthy families, securing government aid tends to be free of hassles. For low-income families, the process is often stigmatizing and the benefits meager.
President Joe Biden signs the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill into law Thursday.
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Jeb Barnes, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The idea that Washington, D.C., is paralyzed by gridlock rests on half-truths about the legislative process and a basic misunderstanding of how contemporary policymaking works.