My family outside of their first motel in Bordentown, NJ

Since the 1980s, economic inequality in the United States has skyrocketed while social mobility has steadily declined. A Canadian child born to poor parents today has a 14 percent chance of becoming a top earner — twice the odds of an American child. New York’s 12th Congressional District is one of the wealthiest but most unequal districts in America, with a higher Gini coefficient than Chile.

In order to increase upward mobility and lay the foundation for a new American Dream, we must provide our families with economic security and level the playing field by investing in our children. The current structure of our economy and government punishes families simply for having children, as parents have to choose between working and caregiving. This particularly hurts single parents and low and middle-income communities. Likewise, child poverty disproportionately affects Black and Latinx children.

The suite of policies I am proposing is called the Family Opportunity Guarantee, which addresses the urgent economic needs of American families. It provides health insurance to every child; expands the supply, quality, and affordability of caregiving; invests in early childhood development and education; provides families with the flexibility of a monthly cash allowance to spend on their unique, individual needs.