The child tax credit cut child poverty in half in the US. As soon as it expired, child poverty went right back where it was. Poverty is a choice — a policy choice. We could end most poverty today by just giving people money — that's exactly what the child tax credit did.

Not all poverty can be directly solved with cash payments, but most poverty can. Far and away the number one cause of poverty is not having enough money. And when someone has other problems too, money makes those other challenges easier to face.

For decades — in fact most of a century since the early forays into a welfare state — our society has had the means to almost completely abolish poverty and deprivation. We just… keep deciding not to. The example of the child tax credit shows just how easily and quickly cash payments can end poverty. That choice continues to be available, and the implementation is so straightforward.

The number one cause of poverty is not having enough money. When we give people money, they stop being poor. We have the money, and we have the means to give it out.