Dads During The Pandemic - Forgotten Heroes

 As the 1.9 Trillion Dollar stimulus bill is signed into law, I want to remind everyone that one group was never discussed this past year. Fathers. That's right fathers. Here are some talking points that support my suggestion that dads were forgotten heroes during this once in a lifetime pandemic. 

Overall, stimulus relief was targeted to help all Americans. Right? Well, not necessarily. The relief is targeted through advocacy efforts. One group that does not have a lot of advocacy at the Federal Level is fathers. Consider the following as evidence: 

• Stimulus Funding: The childhood portion of the stimulus package does not include many fathers raising children on their own or in 50/50 custody agreements. Fathers that are divorced often have childhood tax credits given to the mother. That's part of the "deal." they have to make to keep their children in their lives. Even though they might have 50/50 custody, the stimulus monies are not provided to men that lose their jobs that have children. Stimulus relief is accounted for by a tax return, not responsibility. 
• Debt forgiveness: Each bill forgives/postpones debt. Suspension of Child Support Payments is not a part of that relief. According to the law: 

The court is not offering any automatic exemption on child support requirements because children still need to be cared for. The reasoning is that the parent of primary residence still must feed, clothe and care for their children, even if they have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Therefore, the parent of alternate residence is still obligated to fulfill their financial responsibilities. If you fail to pay child support when owed, you may face several consequences, including:

• Garnishment of your wages and unemployment
• Confiscation of tax refunds
• Being found in contempt of court
• Having a warrant issued for your arrest
• Getting your passport and various licenses revoked
• Getting a lien placed on your car, home, or other property
• Being excluded from government benefits

Think about that. People can stop paying their bills, they can stop paying their rent, but Fathers are not given a break during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic to be able to economically regain their ability to support their children. This can lead to liens, loss of personal property, and in some cases legal consequences. 

Lastly, think about the most recent bill. Prior bills did not allow for the collection of debt. Fathers in debt will have their stimulus monies retracted. They will also miss out on the increased Childhood Credit and future childhood stimulus monies that are proposed in the bill. 

Men are unfairly excluded which leads to inequity in relief efforts at the Federal Level. 

By no means is this article suggesting that men should be free from their financial responsibility for parenting. What it does point out is Fathers in this country do not have enough advocacy at the Federal Level. We live in a time when men are increasingly responsible for raising children against all odds. Similar to mothers, we need to keep them in mind for future legislation. Times have changed, and legislation needs to keep up with the changes in our society. This is an article to support fathers that are stepping up and being responsible parents during a time of national crisis. They need our help and advocacy.