| Friend, One of the bright spots of the pandemic was the introduction of the expanded Child Tax Credit. In 2021, child poverty fell to a historic low, just 5.2%.(1) But then Congress let the tax credit expire, and child poverty jumped to 12.4%, representing millions of children who are suffering.(2) Congress can fix this grave error in judgement and reinstate the expanded Child Tax Credit, helping to make real progress. The program is widely popular, and we need to combine our voices to convince our representatives to act in the new year. Tell Congress: Reinstate the expanded Child Tax Credit now!
Child poverty isn’t a one-size fits all problem. After the end of the tax credit expansion, Black poverty rates surged to 17.2% and Latino poverty to 19.3%.(3) Combined with a strong labor market, this tax credit was a lifeline during the pandemic, but now we are once again failing communities that have been let down again and again. More than 754,000 children under the age of six in California live in families that earn less than $26,100 per year, and 16,000 are unhoused.(4,5) An expanded Child Tax Credit will make a huge difference for them, and Congress needs to act now. Will you sign on to tell Congress to reinstate the expanded Child Tax Credit? Thank you for joining the fight. –Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Isidra, Jen, Mario, Marvin, Alyssa, and Lindsay (and the rest of the Courage team)
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