Urge Senators Kelly and Sinema to Vote 'Yes' on the Child Tax Credit Expansion
The Senate is expected to vote this Thursday on the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC). The tax legislation that includes the expanded CTC has been stuck in the Senate since January, when the House passed it with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. It is critical that senators pass the expanded CTC now.
The legislation would expand the CTC so that more lower income children and families receive the full credit. The proposal prioritizes children whose families currently receive only a partial credit or no credit at all because their incomes are too low – approximately 16 million children will benefit from the expansion.
From ELCA Advocacy (in February):
As child poverty grows, lawmakers must prioritize tax relief for low-income families.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are pushing for an expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), with hopes that it will be included in a wider tax package by the end of this year. An expanded version of the Child Tax Credit helped cut child poverty nearly in half over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but those gains have largely been lost since the expansion expired at the end of 2021.
Emerging statistics and stories of ministry unveil alarming experiences. New data from the Department of Agriculture suggests that 3.5 million families fell into food insecurity from 2021 to 2022 – raising the total to more than 44 million people nationwide. Congregations, Lutheran hunger leaders and food pantries from many synods tell of volunteer exhaustion, increased demand for services and an urgency to address rising child hunger in our communities. With inflation, food prices and childcare costs continuing to climb, tax relief for low- and middle-income families would go a long way in supporting those of us who are hungry and our ministries serving those of us in the greatest need.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sen. Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Smith (R-MO) have introduced legislative text that would make a modest expansion of the CTC. By some estimates, if enacted, the tax package compromise would lift roughly over 400,000 children out of poverty, and increase benefits for nearly 3 million other children between now and 2025. Advocates should push lawmakers to pass this agreement as soon as possible.
For further details on various bipartisan proposals for CTC expansion, read: https://www.niskanencenter.org/bipartisan-reform-options-for-the-child-tax-credit/
Today, tell Senator Sinema and Senator Kelly that families should be able to afford the costs of raising a child in the modern economy, and that your lawmaker should champion an expansion of the Child Tax Credit before the end of this year. Use your experiences, convictions and ministry activities to customize the following letter.