U.S. child poverty spikes in January after Biden's benefit program expired: The Washington Post

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The number of American children in poverty spiked dramatically in January after the expiration of U.S. President Joe Biden's expanded child benefit at the end of last year, The Washington Post has reported.

The child poverty rate rose from 12 percent in December 2021 to 17 percent last month, the report said, citing a new research by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University.

The study found that an additional 3.7 million children are now in poverty relative to the end of December, with Black and Latino children seeing the biggest percentage point increases.

"The overall monthly child poverty rate rose sharply between December 2021 and January 2022," it said.