Letter to Joe Biden, President of the United States - Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, Congressman Ritchie Torres Lead Letter Urging President Biden to Make Expanded Child Tax Credit Permanent

Letter

Dear President Biden:

Thank you for everything you have done to help American families, and especially low-income families, survive this pandemic and begin to build back better. We were so proud to pass the American Rescue Plan last month and to have prioritized within that bill the expansion of the child tax credit, which is expected to cut child poverty in half and lift so many of our constituent out of poverty. And while this is an important start, we also know that addressing child poverty for the short-term is not sufficient. As freshmen Members of Congress, we came to Washington, D.C. to enact substantive change, and the American Rescue Plan was just the start. American families need a permanent child tax credit -- not one that lasts one year, or even four.

Before the American Rescue Plan became law, 27 million children did not receive the child tax credit as a result of low parental income.1 For years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, our broken child care system was unable to meet the needs of all families. And we know those weaknesses, and the devastating effects on the American workforce, were only exacerbated by the pandemic. It will take a long time for American families to fully recover from this crisis, and cutting off this important lifeline is both unnecessary and expensive. In fact, the National Academies of Sciences found that child poverty itself costs America between $800 billion and $1.1 trillion per year.2

During the pandemic, child poverty reached an estimated high of 21.4% in August 2020 -- up from 18.7% pre-pandemic. Pulse Survey reported that nearly 7 to 11 million children lived in households without enough food because their parents could not afford it. This financial hardship was, and still is, more present in our communities of color: Black and Hispanic households were twice more likely than white households to not have adequate food and nutrition.3 The expanded child tax credit directly benefits these families, and it is imperative that it continues permanently.

In July, American families who qualify for the child tax credit will start to receive it. Nearly 3 in 4 families with children will receive a larger tax credit than before, with the bottom fifth of earners seeing the largest increase in benefits.4 Now is the time to make the child tax credit permanent, and make it monthly. We have the momentum in Congress -- and with your support from the White House, we can make this happen.

We know you share our commitment to America's kids, and we remain grateful for your steady leadership in this difficult time. Together, we have a chance to truly help American families build back better. We hope you will join us in ensuring the expanded child tax credit becomes permanent.

Sincerely,