Democrats' new plan for poor parents: Give them $300 a month

The public has long been skeptical of programs that give cash to the poor. They cost a lot of money — TANF, for example, costs $16.5 billion every year — and their benefits are concentrated to low-income families who don’t pay much in taxes.

But the American Family Act is notably different than other benefit programs. It would essentially just expand the current credit by giving more money to more people. It wouldn’t phase out until single-filers exceeded at least $75,000 per year and joint-filers exceeded $110,000 per year — the same cutoffs that were in place prior to President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. A source familiar with the matter told TIME a new version with higher phaseout thresholds could be introduced soon, making upper-middle class families eligible for the cash too.

It’s an idea that other countries have tried. If Rosenberger lived in Canada, Australia or almost any country in the European Union, she’d benefit from a child allowance: periodic payments made out to parents so they can offset how expensive it is to raise children. In Canada, Rosenberger and her son would qualify for roughly $5,000 per year. In Australia, they’d get about $4,000. In the United States, however, based off her practically nonexistent income, Rosenberger currently doesn’t get anything.