Child Tax Credit

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, first I want to recognize my colleague from Connecticut, his moving tribute to a great American, and also thank him for his steadfast leadership on issues of gun safety in this country.

I am standing here with my colleagues today to talk about what is going on in this country around empowering children. We have a big thing happening tomorrow with the vast majority of families with kids across the country.

As of tomorrow, they will start seeing more money in their bank accounts every year for the rest of the year. These payments are the result of changes that we have made to the child tax credit, which was signed into law by President Biden as part of the American Rescue Plan because of the changes we advocated for.

What President Biden made law, more families and children are going to benefit from the child tax credit. More than ever before in history, in fact, this will be the greatest cut in overall child poverty in the history of America for this coming year.

So starting tomorrow, 90 percent of kids in America--90 percent of their families across the country--will start to see these payments for the rest of this year, up to $300 for every child in a household under 6 and $250 for every child in the household ages 6 through 17. For families in suburbs and cities and rural areas, for families across the country, this policy is transformative.

For the family of people with essential workers in Florida, the grandmother raising three children in California, a single mom in Pennsylvania working the same job for 20 years, for a parent in Utah-- you can go on and on and on--this is one of the most transformative policy changes made in our Nation in more than a century.

This policy means stability. It means help is on the way. It means hope is here.

In my home State, Margarita from Passaic, NJ, who is raising three kids on her own while working two jobs, one before sunrise, starting tomorrow, she will see hundreds of dollars a month to help her pay the electric bill, help her make rent, and help her children succeed in school.

For the family of two educators with kids in New York, tomorrow is transformative. Washington State, North Dakota, blue State, so-called red State--all over this country, we are seeing a transformation.

This is what a mom from Kansas said:

[This child tax credit] would help so much for single moms like me to be able to feel secure as a parent. If at any time something were to happen to me, such as a car repair, a doctor visit, even a book fair for my children, I am just not making enough to have any extra for anything other than bills. Shoes and coats, maybe a ball glove. Karate or dance lessons to improve social skills and athletic abilities and teach children teamwork would be possible; [and] maybe even at Christmas since they didn't get one in 2020.

For middle-class families trying to stay afloat, lower income families desperate to make ends meet, and families living in poverty struggling to put food on the table, tomorrow is a new start. For millions of Americans across the country, from this body, our President, tomorrow will begin a historically unparalleled moment.

Senator Brown, Senator Bennet, Senator Warnock, and I, along with our House colleagues, are going to continue to do what must be done. This change for this year--cutting child poverty, empowering millions of families, 90 percent of whom with kids will see a benefit--we must make this permanent. I will fight alongside my colleagues to see that this is not a one-time benefit for 1 year but a permanent change that we-- change our status. We are the 36th wealthiest Nation on the planet, and we are 4th from the bottom in child poverty. We are second to last in terms of child allowances. We in America have to make this country live up to its promise to every child that we are the cornerstone of the idea of the American dream; that we are the most fertile soil for which a child could thrive; that we love our children not just in words but in the policies we make. This is a historic moment.

The one thing I will say to anyone listening to my words, because, as my colleague knows, some families are eligible but might not benefit, please, we need to make sure that portal--that people know to go to childtaxcredit.gov to get the information. All of us have an obligation to help everyone avail themselves of this policy. I believe, God willing, we will make it permanent.

I now turn to my colleague Senator Bennet from Colorado, Mr. President, with your permission.

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