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Republicans slammed for not clapping at Joe Biden’s child poverty claim: 'They only care about the rich kids'

Biden announced America has managed to cut child poverty in half, but Republicans didn't seem impressed, much to the fury of Twitter

President Joe Biden just made a huge announcement — America is on track to cut child poverty in half. Thanks to the massive $1.9 trillion stimulus package, American children now have a greater shot at a better life. The announcement was one of the many the president made at his State of the Union speech, but it did not leave some people impressed.

The president said, "Maybe most importantly, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we’re on track to cut child poverty in America in half this year." As Biden made the statement, almost all the Democrats in the house stood up to applaud the announcement, but not a single Republican did. The striking image was a good reminder of the polarized times we live in. As one user tweeted, "If you can’t clap at cutting child poverty in half, you shouldn’t be in those seats."

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Econofact noted that "10.46 million children, were living in poverty as measured by the official U.S poverty rate". That accounts for around 14.4% of all children in the country in 2019. The US has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the developed world. Those numbers are worse off for children of color, as Children's Defense Fund noted "children of color were 2.5 times more likely to be poor than their white, non-Hispanic peers". 

There are no numbers to back up Biden's claim that child poverty has been, or will be halved anytime soon. However, there has been a marked difference thanks to the Covid-19 relief. A March 2021 article in The Guardian noted that the American Rescue Plan has lifted millions of children are now out of poverty thanks to provisions like the child tax credit. A March 2021 study published in Columbia University also noted that child poverty could be halved by the plan. 

Now, Biden wants to make some of those provisions permanent but to do that he needs Republican support. At the moment, that looks like it won't be coming anytime soon. At the speech, no Republican stood up or even applauded Biden's announcement. 

'Why do Republicans love child poverty so much?'

As the image made its way to social media, many users slammed the Republicans for not applauding the announcement. Journalist Mehdi Hasan tweeted, "Congressional Republicans staying seated and refusing to clap as the president announces a *halving of child poverty* in America tells you everything you need to know about the Republican Party." 

Another journalist asked, "It's a bit jarring that when Biden talks about cutting child poverty in half in America this year, Republicans remained seated. Are they in favor of it staying as is?" One more user posed the question, "Why do Republicans love child poverty so much?"

One user called the moment, "Republicans staying quiet while Democrats celebrate cutting child poverty in half is, uh, quite the look." One more user said, "Not clapping for cutting child poverty in half is actually a pretty good summation of where the GOP is these days."

"If you’re wondering what Republicans are for, not cutting child poverty and clean water, that’s for sure" said one user. Another tweeted, "President Joe Biden says “We have cut child poverty in half” and the republicans sat still. Why? Because they do not want that. They only care about the rich kids in this country."

Slamming the GOP wasn't the only reason 'child poverty' began trending though, as many celebrated Biden's announcement. However, it is important to note that this isn't a complete victory. The reduction in child poverty is almost entirely due to provisions in the American Rescue Plan, which are set to expire at the end of the year. If the nation really wants to bring down poverty, it will need more permanent laws, which Biden wants to pass through his 'American Families Plan'.

To do that though, Biden will need Republicans to vote yes, which clearly looks hard, judging from the lack of enthusiasm at the speech.