Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) sent a letter to House and Senate leaders calling for the inclusion of an expanded and improved, fully refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) in the next coronavirus response package. DelBene and DeLauro’s letter is cosigned by 60 total members of Congress.

A recent Columbia University study estimated poverty rates are rapidly climbing, potentially to the highest levels since the measure was created in 1967. Children and working age adults face particularly large increases in poverty. While all groups are impacted, the rise in rates among African Americans are especially alarming. By retroactively expanding and improving the CTC, and integrating it with the Economic Impact Payments, Congress can directly address the rising rates of child poverty.

“The CARES Act took an important step by addressing the urgent needs of the half of American households with children as well as the other half of households without children,” wrote the lawmakers. “Adults are receiving checks for $1,200, while kids only receive $500, meaning the CARES Act counts a child as two-fifths of a person. With child poverty on the rise, a policy resulting in a parent with two kids getting less assistance than a childless couple is unfair and unequal. At a time when costs for families are rising because children are out of school or out of daycare where many of their essential needs are provided, it is critical we address the rising rates of child poverty.”

“In order to meet those needs, the next supplemental package must …: make the Child Tax Credit fully refundable and make it retroactive to last year …; Increase the Child Tax Credit by $1,000 for older kids and $1,600 for young kids under 6 …; Protect families when they file their taxes next year …; Protect families subject to asset limits for government programs like SSI and Medicaid …; [and] Provide authority to deliver the payments as a monthly credit or as frequently as feasibly administrable,” the letter continues.