The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set newsroom policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com. Ann Danforth is the economic security policy advocate at Maine Equal Justice. Stephanie J. Eglinton is executive director of the Maine Children’s Alliance. The American Rescue Plan — the federal COVID relief proposal currently moving through Congress — has the power to cut child poverty in our nation and in our state by nearly half.