John,

In 2021, Congress passed one of the most impactful investments in working and low-income families in generations. 2.9 million children were lifted out of poverty, 2.5 million fewer children lived in households that were food insecure, and this investment increased the number of parents who were able to work outside the home.¹ And then Congress let it expire at the end of 2021.

The expanded and improved Child Tax Credit was a landmark example of the federal government working for the majority of us and not the few. It corrected major flaws in the original Child Tax Credit that had married households earning up to $200,000 receiving the full credit, while single parent households with modest incomes did not. It also reached the lowest income households and included 17 year olds for the first time. Now, it’s reverted back and 3.7 million children were plunged back into poverty in January 2022.²

There is hope on the horizon. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), and Ritchie Torres (NY-15) have reintroduced the American Family Act to make the expanded and improved Child Tax Credit permanent.  

The American Family Act is critical legislation that will lift millions of children out of poverty, help close educational gaps, and reduce food insecurity in millions of households. Congress must make passing this legislation a priority. Click here to send a direct message to Congress to pass the American Family Act today.

The American Family Act increases the Child Tax Credit from a maximum of $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child up through age 17 and $3,600 per child under age six. The effect this would have on millions of families cannot be overstated. Currently, families with low incomes don’t receive the full credit, ironically because they do not earn enough. The poorest families don’t get any of the CTC. This has resulted in 46% of Black children and 37% of Latino children receiving less than the full credit or no credit at all, compared to 17% of white children.

The improved and expanded Child Tax Credit would right this wrong, ensuring the lowest income families qualify for the full tax credit.

When families have more money, they’re more stable. They’re not battling with food insecurity or irregular housing—all things that negatively impact a child’s development and school readiness. Congress failed in its duty when it didn’t renew the improved and expanded Child Tax Credit at the end of 2021 and again in 2022. We can’t let them make the same mistake in 2023.

Contact Congress now and tell them to reduce child poverty and pass the American Family Act now.

Thank you for all you do to support children and families,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Policymakers Should Expand Child Tax Credit in Year-End Legislation to Fight Child Poverty
² Top Tax Priority: Expanding the Child Tax Credit in Upcoming Economic Legislation