Pass an expanded Child Tax Credit in any end-of-year tax package!

As Congress deliberates tax priorities, I am writing as your constituent to strongly urge you to prioritize reducing child poverty via an expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) in a potential end-of-year tax package. There are currently 19 million children excluded from the full credit because of the structure of the CTC. Some do not understand that the vast majority of children whose families are left out of the full CTC are working—but their families do not make enough to get the full CTC. In fact, under current law, families with 2 children do not receive the full $2,000 CTC if they earn less than $28,000 - $35,000, denying the full credit (or any credit) to families who need it most. Ensuring that the full Child Tax Credit reaches the lowest-income children who need it most will have immeasurable benefits to families and our society for generations to come. Will you make expanding the CTC, and ensuring it reaches the lowest income families currently left out of the full benefit your top priority—not more tax breaks for large, profitable corporations? Children are our future and investing in them now means continued prosperity for generations to come. The expanded Child Tax Credit cut child poverty in the U.S. by 46%. But when Congress let it expire, child poverty more than doubled, from 5.2% to 12.4%. Just before Thanksgiving, 16% of households with children reported sometimes or often not having enough to eat in the past week, up from 10.4% in the summer of 2021 while families were getting support from a temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Keeping children out of poverty means better school performance, better health outcomes, and more mentally and emotionally well-adjusted children. Research shows that most low-income families spent the expanded CTC on basic necessities like food, utilities, and rent or mortgage payments, as well as education expenses—and families need that help now. I strongly believe we should focus on tax policies to address child poverty. In contrast, if Congress makes the bonus depreciation rule permanent as some policymakers are proposing, the American public would lose out on $325 billion in revenue over the next decade. That’s money that can be used to fully fund critical programs like childcare, early childhood education, essential nutrition programs, and expand access to health care. Children and their families are our future; investing in them must be Congress’ top priority. Any tax package you consider must include the expanded Child Tax Credit, focused on directing its help to the lowest-income households. Will you voice support for expanding the Child Tax Credit to reduce child poverty with colleagues and your party’s leadership?