Kudos to Willie Dickerson (Letters, 9/12) for beating the drum on what we can do about the challenges facing us as a community: Speak up, in reference in particular to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

Substantial research shows that income from EITC and CTC benefit struggling working families and their children throughout their life: improved infant and maternal health, better nutrition, increased math and reading scores, increased school attendance and graduation rates, less alcohol and drug use, and higher earnings in the next generation.

The 2017 tax code gave massive tax cuts to the wealthy and large corporations. The Working Families Tax Relief Act would help level the playing field by expanding the EITC and CTC. A total of 571,000 children in Oregon would benefit from this bill.

You can call Representative Peter DeFazio’s D.C. office (202-225-6416) and urge him to support the Working Families Tax Relief Act.

Donna Schindler Munro

Bremerton, Wash.

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