Lawmakers have an opportunity to meet the needs of children, youth, and their families through a bipartisan tax proposal that could expand the Child Tax Credit as soon as this year. The bipartisan package – as negotiated by Senator Wyden (D-Oregon) and Rep Smith (R-Missouri) – could benefit millions of children who were previously left out of the Credit. We need your help reminding those in political power of their obligation to America’s young people.
We need to act now and advocate for the expanded Child Tax Credit to provide economic relief for families in their 2023 tax returns!
The 2021 expansion of the Child Tax Credit lifted nearly 4 million children (about the population of Arkansas) out of poverty, making huge strides in addressing racial and economic inequities. With the expiration of that expansion, 2022 saw double-digit increases in child poverty. Furthermore, 19 million children were left out of the full credit altogether because their families were making too little to qualify.
Expanding the Child Tax Credit was the single most powerful mechanism in reducing child poverty in the last decade, then Congress let it expire. While this deal does not go as far as the 2021 expansion, this agreement is a step towards the right direction. Together, we will urge our elected officials to support the current bipartisan proposal and also continue the fight to make a permanent, fully refundable, monthly Child Tax Credit that accelerates the economic mobility of millions of families so that children can grow up with dignity, hope, and joy.
Please contact your members of Congress and demand that they support a tax code that works for young people and their families.