Last week while many of us were busy stuffing turkeys, baking pies, and spending time with our families, some in the U.S. Congress were quietly working on a deal on a tax bill that might give away more than $400 billion (yes, that’s billion with a “b”) in tax breaks for wealthy corporations and race horse owners (no joke!) while mere crumbs to working families.

Not on our watch!

Calling all moms and dads, daughters and sons, sisters and brothers: We need to use our outside voices to tell Congress “Our families deserve a fair shake in the tax bill!” Any deal to extend tax breaks for wealthy corporations must keep the current Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit—two programs that have proven to be such successful investments in struggling working families and our economy. Tax cuts for wealthy big wigs on Wall Street alone is unacceptable!

**Write your members of Congress NOW and tell them “No way can you give tax breaks to wealthy corporations while leaving working families out in the cold and harming our economy. Make sure the current EITC and Child Tax Credit doesn’t expire!” http://action.momsrising.org/sign/EITCChildTaxCredit/

If Congress passes a tax bill that gives massive new tax breaks to corporations but leaves behind struggling working families, it would have a devastating effect on families all over the country and would also hurt our economy. Without an extension, key provisions to the EITC and Child Tax Credit will expire, pushing nearly 16 million people—including 8 million children and many military families—into poverty and making it harder for tens of millions more families to pay their bills.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a tax benefit for working people who have a low to moderate-income. And it works. In 2013 alone, the EITC lifted 3.2 million children out of poverty. Studies show it improves children’s health, education, and lifetime earnings, and boosts our economy as well.

Similarly, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is also a program that helps low and moderate-income families and also boosts our economy. With the Child Tax Credit, 38 million families are able to reduce their federal income tax by up to $1,000 for each qualifying child under the age of 17. That means more money in our pockets to pay for important things our families need like medicine, car repairs, rent, and a new pair of shoes for our kids—things that help our local business communities as well. In 2013, the Child Tax Credit protected approximately 3.1 million people from poverty, including 1.7 million children.

But sadly, instead of boosting working families and our economy preventing the EITC and Child Tax Credit from expiring, many in Congress are talking about giving a giant tax package to super rich corporations. Tax packages being discussed are so huge that they even include tax breaks for racehorse owners, manufacturers of electric motorcycles, and improvements at NASCAR tracks.

This harms families and our economy alike—and it is most definitely not okay.

Your voice can make a difference. Some in Congress think they can sneak this deal through while people outside the Beltway are not paying attention. But that won’t happen on our watch! We’re paying attention and the more of us who sign on to make our voices heard, the bigger the impact we’ll have together.

**Don’t forget to take a moment to write your members of Congress to tell them make sure the extension of the current EITC and Tax Credit is in any tax package that passes Congress. http://action.momsrising.org/sign/EITCChildTaxCredit/

If your members of Congress don’t hear from their constituents about the tax deal, they will think no one is paying attention. We must stand up and hold our members of Congress accountable! And even if the President vetoes the bill, Congress might still have the votes to override the veto if we don’t make our voices heard now!

Join me in writing our members of Congress TODAY and tell them not to forgot working families and our economy in the tax package, and to support a tax deal that ensures we keep the current EITC and Child Tax Credit permanently to help millions of working families with children make ends meet. http://action.momsrising.org/sign/EITCChildTaxCredit/

This bill could be moving fast, so we need to double down on our efforts. The wealthy corporations have lobbyists in slick suits doing their bidding for them. We need moms and dads to stand up for our children and families! So once you take action can you paste this link on Facebook and Twitter? http://action.momsrising.org/sign/EITCChildTaxCredit/?source=blog

Together we are a powerful force!

P.S. Do you have experience with the EITC or Child Tax Credit? Do tell! How has the EITC and Child Tax Credit helped your family? Have these tax credits helped you keep your head above water? What would you be able to do with this money? Please share your thoughts and experiences here: https://www.momsrising.org/member_stories/topic/has-the-earned-income-tax-credit-eitc-or-child-tax-credit-ctc-helped-your-family/