For America’s moms, extension of the expanded Child Tax Credit means being able to put nutritious food on the table, buy clothing and school supplies for their kids, pay for medications and therapies, and even save a little for a rainy day, a child’s college, or their own retirement. When the U.S. Senate let the expanded Child Tax Credit expire last year, it meant pain, hardship, and debt for millions of families. That’s why MomsRising is pressing hard for Congress to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit before the end of the year.

“The expanded Child Tax Credit was a historic, long overdue investment in children and families, and it was transformational,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO of MomsRising. “It had a historic impact in reducing child poverty, and Congress should not have allowed it to end. America’s moms are looking to Congress to invest in families once again by extending the expanded Child Tax Credit in the FY2023 budget. Congress must not renew President Trump's corporate tax breaks without first providing this critical lifeline for children and families.”

To bring this message to Congress, the MomsRising Education Fund is:

• Spending thousands of dollars on a digital ad that says:

        “More tax cuts for CORPORATIONS? Moms are watching! Congress, prioritize our kids. Extend the Child Tax Credit Now! Paid for by the MomsRising Education Fund.” 

• Organizing calls to the U.S. Senate from moms and advocates all across the country.

• Distributing a storybook with personal stories from MomsRising members in all 50 states about the impact of the expanded Child Tax Credit.

• Joining with congressional champions to press for progress. MomsRising members Amber MacQuarrie from New Hampshire and Eshawney Gaston from North Carolina spoke at a news conference Wednesday featuring Child Tax Credit champions U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (CO), Cory Booker (NJ), Sherrod Brown (OH), and U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT), Suzan DelBene (WA), and Richie Torres (NY). 

In 2021, the American Rescue Plan increased the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child per year for children over age six, and from $2,000 to $3,600 for younger children. Families with incomes of up to $150,000 per year for a couple and $112,500 per year for a single parent qualified for the expanded credit, which they received in monthly payments of $250 per child or $300 per child under age 6. The lowest income families were eligible for the Child Tax Credit for the first time since it was made fully refundable.

By December of 2021, the expanded Child Tax Credit had pulled 3.7 million children out of poverty, reducing the country’s child poverty rate by an unprecedented 30%. But in the first month after Congress let it expire, our country’s child poverty rate rose from 12.1% to 17%, with Black and Latino children experiencing the greatest increases in poverty.

“We can put the country back on track to dramatically reduce child poverty and help families during this time when prices are skyrocketing by restoring the expanded Child Tax Credit,” Rowe-Finkbeiner added. “That should be a high priority for every lawmaker.”