We have an opportunity to help tackle childhood poverty in the United States.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, upwards of 10 million children were living in poverty, with about half of those families living in extreme poverty. What does that look like? It looks like a family of four living on just $13,086, or less, for a year. It is not just poverty, it is unimaginable poverty.

But as part of our COVID-19 response, in the American Rescue Plan, Congress increased the Child Tax Credit (CTC) from $2,000 to as much as $3,600 depending on the age of the child. The plan also adjusted the credit payment to ensure this resource was available to the families most in need — families earning so little that they did not owe any taxes in 2021.

Now, Congress is hearing legislation that would make this expanded tax credit permanent to help families in need. I am supporting this bill because no child should have to grow up in poverty. Will you sign my petition to support this bill and tell Congress to lift children and families out of poverty?

Sign now!

The expanded Child Tax Credit of 2021 reached more than 61 million kids — 76,000 of whom live in Washington's Second Congressional District alone.

The CTC made an enormous difference in the lives of families. It helped families pay for essentials like child care, groceries, transportation, household utilities, and so much else.

The impact the CTC made was significant. The American Medical Association found that the CTC increased rates of child wellness, improved the ability of households to cover expenses, and decreased food insecurity for children. But those improvements vanished when Congress failed to reauthorize the expanded Child Tax Credit.

It is clear: we need to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit. Not just for a year, or two, but permanently. Will you sign my petition and tell Congress to permanently lift American families out of extreme poverty?

The 2021 Child Tax Credit was the largest tax cut for the middle class in a generation, and its outcome for families was striking. We cannot let this opportunity slip away. Sign this petition today and help 61 million kids have a better, more secure childhood.

Rick