Kenya N. Rahmaan
Pennsylvania Senator, Pat Toomey, made headlines last week. He blocked an amendment introduced by Democrats that would have protected the third round of stimulus payments from being garnished by private debt collectors. Millions impatiently awaited the decision on whether or not the President would sign the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act into law and send the third round of stimulus payments out to Americans. Once signed, citizens discovered that due to the reconciliation process used in passing the bill, people owing government debt were safe from garnishments; however, debt collectors could snatch the money to cover the private debt. https://youtu.be/171PjU2ztA4
According to Samantha Chatman (2021), if a person has a court judgment against them for unpaid medical bills or credit card debt, the stimulus money could be taken. This loss of protection triggered advocates across the country to demand that government officials intervene to block the garnishment go-ahead included in the stimulus bill. Shahar Ziv of Forbes (2021) wrote that “Toomey’s intransigence stopped the Senate from considering the amendment and could mean that up to 70 million Americans may see their stimulus checks pared or completely seized”. Toomey, while denying the existence of a wealth and inequality crisis in America, unfortunately, used a common scapegoat to defend his blocking of the amendment. That being ‘deadbeats.’
America has been blaming non-custodial parents (NCPS) a/k/a ‘deadbeats for numerous problems since the passing of the Deadbeat Punishment Act in 1998. Although parents indebted to the government and/or custodial parents were finally spared from stimulus seizures, Toomey’s reference and blame seem as outrageous as the deadbeat stereotype and narrative pushed for decades. According to Candy Woodall of the Pennsylvania State Capital Bureau (2021), Toomey said the plan from Democrats protected “Deadbeat Dads” and ex-husbands who haven’t paid alimony or child support. Not only is this statement false since child support debtors are already protected in the bill, but the ‘deadbeat’ dad narrative has also been disproven repeatedly over the years.
The word ‘deadbeat’ implies that a father (or mother, for that matter, has the resources to support their offspring yet refuses to do so. In reality, there are a plethora of barriers that NCPs face, which seriously hinder them from making full and on-time payments. Vicky Turetsky, former Commissioner of the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement OCSE) (2019) wrote that many NCPs-those with limited education and marketable skills, an intermittent work history, and sometimes a criminal record-struggle to find and maintain work at a sufficient wage to support themselves and pay their child support obligations. These issues, accompanied by possible health problems, disabilities, lack of transportation, homelessness, etc., have created dead-broke and not ‘deadbeat’ parents.
Fathers already facing hardships that hinder their ability to provide for their basic needs are forced to pay child support amounts that they simply cannot afford. Unsurprisingly, parents who owe the most child support debt earn the least amount of money. When comparing child support debt amounts owed by high debtors versus non-debtors, the differences are astounding. Elaine Sorenson, Liliana Sousa, and Simon Schaner (2007) explained that,
nearly three-quarters of the high debtors had either no reported income (44 percent) or reported income of $10,000 a year or less (30 percent). The median amount of reported income amount high debtors was $685 a year. In contrast, one-fifth of the non-debtors had no reported income (11 percent) or reported income of $10,000 a year or less (9 percent). Their median reported income was $29,625 per year.
It should not be a shock that parents ordered to pay realistic amounts of child support and have the ability to pay do not find themselves criminalized and ostracized for being poor. As of 2019, the OCSE reported the national child support debt at nearly $118 billion. This outrageous amount is due, in part, to unrealistic child support amounts, fines and fees applied to the debt, and old debt that can’t be erased because of the Bradley Amendment. The Bradley Amendment, enacted in 1986, prohibits the retroactive state modification of child support arrears (EveryCRSReport.com, 2000) https://youtu.be/dv0KpADLlFY
This outdated and unfair amendment forces NCPs into lifelong indebtedness. As of 2019, nearly $24 billion was allegedly owed by NCPS to the United States government. This debt results from custodial parents applying and receiving welfare benefits for which the NCPs are now responsible for repayment. Never mind that welfare benefits are grants and not loans. This debt, mostly uncollectable, places a tremendous burden on NCPs as they attempt to provide for their children and themselves. Considering the barriers parents traditionally face when involved with the child support system and a new worldwide pandemic, it seems that Senator Toomey is looking for the most common scapegoat, ‘deadbeat’ dads.
His unwillingness to shield citizens from private debt collectors should be placed squarely on his shoulders and not on the shoulders of his parents. It is time for this country to dispel the myth of the ‘deadbeat’ and assist low-income parents in gaining a fresh start without the burden of government-owed child support debt. Senator Toomey needs to address his ‘deadbeat’ issues as he refuses to approve a bill that would ensure that struggling citizens receive every penny of the stimulus payment. He has the power to help yet refuses to do so. That sounds like a ‘deadbeat.’
You can support the initiative demanding that the government erase all government-owed child support debt by signing our petition. https://bit.ly/2YWDxJ3
References
Chatman, S. (2021, March 18). Third round of stimulus checks could be garnished by debt collectors, expert says. ABC7 Chicago. https://abc7chicago.com/stimulus-check-covid-19-us-debt-credit-card/10429584/
EveryCRSReport.com. (2000, July 27). The Bradley amendment: Prohibition against retroactive modification of child support arrearages. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RS20642.html
Office of Child Support Enforcement. (2020). Preliminary report to congress fy2019. Retrieved March 22, 2021, from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/fy_2019_preliminary_data_report.pdf
Sorenson, E., Sousa, L., & Schaner, S. (2007, July 11). Assessing child support arrears in nine large states and the nation. Urban Institute | Social and Economic Policy Research. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/29736/1001242-Assessing-Child-Support-Arrears-in-Nine-Large-States-and-the-Nation.PDF
Woodall, C., & GoErie.com. (2021, March 19). Toomey blocks bill that prevents debt collectors from taking stimulus checks. Why he did it. Pennsylvania State Capital Bureau. https://www.goerie.com/story/news/2021/03/19/toomey-stimulus-debt-collector-vote/4756514001/
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p id=”a5″>Ziv, S. (2021, March 19). Republican senator blocks bill to protect $1,400 stimulus checks from debt collectors. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaharziv/2021/03/19/republican-senator-blocks-bill-to-protect-1400-stimulus-checks-from-debt-collectors/?sh=7bbbe9f15032
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