By Joanne Kenan

(Excerpt)

Yet Olivia Golden, executive director at the Center for Law and Social Policy, said that Romney’s direct cash benefit would not discourage work or family stability. The opposite is true, she said. People are better able to work if they aren’t worried about their kids going hungry or getting evicted. Still, she prefers the Democratic stimulus bill to Romney’s plan because it adds cash payments without taking away benefits.

“It’s important to keep other pieces of the safety net,” Golden said. “We shouldn’t be paying for reducing child poverty by cutting other things that help the wellbeing of low-income people.”

Golden also said she’s happy to see a focus on child poverty from both parties. “The status quo is untenable for a lot of reasons,” she said. “In this moment there is so much devastation.”

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