Social safety net? More like social safety NOT! Three Covid-era programs keeping families above water will expire next month.
by Kelly Weill, MomLeft
On October 1, a federal program that has kept child care centers from collapse will run out of money. A federal food program for children and mothers is also set to experience dramatic budget cuts that day. Also, student loans repayments will resume for the first time in three years.
Covid-19 is over. Not literally—cases of the virus are back on the rise—but in the expiration of Covid-era financial aid. The social safety net that lawmakers unfurled in 2020 and early 2021 has been unraveling ever since its introduction. Already, programs like eviction moratoriums, expanded child tax credits, and free school lunches look like relics of a more compassionate moment.

Next on the chopping block are Covid-era programs that fund child care, feed children, and pause student loan payments. Their disappearance next month is a broadside against working families, leaving some worse off than before the pandemic.
Recent Posts
Dark Money Group Sends Staffers to Tech and Pharma HQs to Kick Off August Recess
August 14, 2026
Take Action Now Center Forward, funded in part by the companies it sent congressional staffers to visit, paired the tours with policy briefings for…
Francesca Hong’s Loss in Wisconsin is a Win for AI Data Centers — For Now
August 14, 2026
Take Action Now Though the democratic socialist was defeated, the fight against the data centers she opposed isn’t going anywhere.By Jessica…
They’re Making Record Profits, But Oil Companies Still Won’t ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’
August 12, 2026
Take Action Now The war in the Middle East has sent Big Oil’s profits soaring. Companies are pocketing the money rather than expanding drilling.By…
Study: Medicare for All Would Save 114k Lives Yearly — and Save $1T in Costs
August 12, 2026
Take Action Now “This study confirms what we have known for years: Medicare for All saves lives and saves money,” said Bernie Sanders.By Sharon…




