A group of Democratic Senators is pressing President Biden to include a larger child tax credit in any agreement on a massive environment and social budget deal.
Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet (Colorado), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Cory Booker (New Jersey), Raphael Warnock (Georgia), and Ron Wyden (Oregon) addressed a letter to Biden and Vice President Harris on Wednesday, urging them to include an enhanced child tax credit in any agreement on Biden’s Build Back Better plan.
Expanded child tax credit
Democrats temporarily increased the child tax credit in early 2021 as part of an expansive coronavirus relief package enforced that can provide $3,600, or $300 per month, for kids under the age of six, and $3,000, or $250 per month, for children aged six to seventeen, and to expand the number of eligible families.
However, since Congress failed to authorize an extension of the expanded benefit, millions of families stopped getting child tax credit benefits this month.
The Hill reports that conversations overextending the enhanced child tax credit are linked to Democrats’ Build Back Better proposal. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) stated in a conference late last year that he couldn’t back the approximately $2 trillion reform bill that cleared the House.
Effects of the program
The program’s impacts were instantly visible. The initial wave of increased payments assisted in reducing hunger for two million youngsters, many of whom were Black or Latino.
Research from the Center on Poverty and Social Policy states that the enlarged child tax credit has reduced child poverty by 30%. Then, on Monday, a new study indicated that women who get a consistent stream of no-strings-attached economic assistance may improve their newborns’ cognitive development.
Biden’s attempt to reach a broader agreement with Manchin fizzled spectacularly, and the West Virginia senate came out from the social fiscal plan in December.
Democrats are worried that the program may be lost in future discussions to revamp the bill and get Manchin’s crucial vote. Without him, the bill will not be able to overcome the GOP’s unanimous opposition in the Senate’s 50-50 split.
Despite the barriers brought up by Manchin, several Democrats say they will continue to fight to keep the effort alive. “I’ve spent a lot of time trying to come up with ideas and methods on the child tax credit that will get us to 50 votes,” Wyden told Insider last week.
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