Faith in the Public Square

A diverse group of religious leaders is calling on  President Joseph Biden and members of Congress to expand the Federal Child Tax Credit (CTC)  before the 117th Congress completes its work on December 31.  In a letter sent last month , they noted that  they support full refundability for the poorest families and monthly payments - two provisions that they say are especially important to the CTC’s impact among children.    From the letter :   The temporary expansion of the CTC that Congress approved last spring reduced child poverty and food insecurity among families with children to lower levels than ever before in our nation’s history. Evaluative studies from Columbia University and Washington University show that the families who benefited used the money for food, rent, and other basic household expenses. They also show that employment among adults in these families did not decline. How can we not build on these wonderful results?    Yet the expanded CTC expired last December, and

City & State magazine , which describes itself as “the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy,” offers a regular feature called The Power List. In its inaugural Faith Power 100 , which is tilted heavily toward the New York City region, there are three individuals might be familiar to people in the Capital District who are involved in the connection between religion and politics. Their ranking and description are as follows:  48. Rev. Peter Cook Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches The Rev. Peter Cook, who represents 7,000 congregations across the state, has pushed Gov. Kathy Hochul to transfer incarcerated people out of Rikers and rallied with home care workers to boost their wages in the state budget. Cook rose to national prominence by using his platform to drive a wedge between gun ownership and Christianity after a gunman killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket in May. Cook argued for stricter gu