President Biden called on Congress to extend the American Rescue Plan’s expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) for only four more years and make the CTC permanently refundable. While this is an important step toward promoting families’ economic well-being, families need a guaranteed income that is generous, inclusive, and permanent—not a smaller cash benefit in a few years that could undermine the progress our nation is making on ending child poverty. We call on Congress and the President to take the bold action families need and make the full CTC expansions permanent.

The Children’s Defense Fund will fight to make these changes to the Child Tax Credit permanent and to continue make improvements. We believe this is crucial to our vision of a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive.