Last week, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., led a letter to U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, urging him to make the Child Tax Credit included in the “American Rescue Plan” permanent.
Crist led six other House Democrats on the letter including U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., and Ted Deutch, D-Fla.
“The expanded Child Tax Credit has dramatically improved the lives of millions, cutting child poverty in America in half,” said Crist. “In my home state of Florida, this tax cut has been a monthly benefit for roughly three million families. Since we know that stronger families equal a stronger Florida, we should take this historic reconciliation opportunity to make this historic tax cut permanent.”
“The Child Tax Credit from the American Rescue Plan of 2021 provides parents with a tax cut of up to $3,000 per child, $3,600 for each child under 6 years of age. Most families began receiving a monthly advance on the tax cut that began on July 15, 2021. If Congress does not act, the improved Child Tax Credit from the American Rescue Plan will expire at the end of 2021,” Crist’s office noted.
“As you work to develop the Fiscal Year 2022 budget reconciliation package, we write to support the House Committee on Ways and Means’ efforts to make permanent the 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC) provisions of the American Rescue Plan. The Congressional Research Service predicts that the CTC will nearly halve the number of children that live in poverty in the United States. Additionally, the expanded CTC corrects the inequity of previous iterations of this tax credit by including those that need it most – lower income families. Among the noteworthy changes, the CTC made the credit fully refundable and guaranteed that lower income families receive the full benefit. In addition, the Advance Child Tax Credits payments are putting relief directly into the pockets of the middle class and working families,” Crist and the House Democrats wrote.
“We are grateful for your leadership in drafting the expanded Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan, and we applaud your foresight to prioritize making it permanent through reconciliation. As you know, this historic tax cut Democrats achieved for the American people is already strengthening families and strengthening America. Unfortunately, without continued action, families will lose this assistance in the new year. We stand ready to support your important work in this area. Thank you for putting American families first,” they added.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com
