Senators, Now Is The Time!

Expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is one of the most effective approaches to alleviating child poverty. The CTC enhances economic mobility and assists low-income families in meeting their essential needs.

After much back and forth this spring on the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), the Senate is now poised to vote on this Thursday. Schumer tees up vote on bill to expand child tax credit, The Hill.

The tax legislation that includes the expanded CTC has been stuck in the Senate since January, even though the House passed it with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. 

Now is the time to tell your Senator to support the CTC.

Data demonstrates that if the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) is reinstated, it has the potential to offer vital support to 36 million low-income families, particularly benefiting families of color by substantially reducing the poverty gap. Furthermore, the CTC has no adverse effects on employment; it enables overburdened parents to work more without decreasing their workforce participation.

By bolstering economic contributions and family stability, an expanded CTC would yield both immediate and long-term advantages in terms of economic security. This makes it an exceptionally cost-efficient policy for poverty reduction.

The CTC not only promotes long-term economic mobility, stability, and improved health and education outcomes, especially for families of color, but also has the potential to benefit state and local economies significantly. A study has even projected that the United States could miss a net benefit of $97 billion if Congress fails to reinstate the expanded CTC.

Background

• The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024
• Gains From Expanded Child Tax Credit Outweigh Overstated Employment Worries
• Top Tax Priority: Expanding the Child Tax Credit in Upcoming Economic Legislation
• Does The Child Tax Credit Reduce Child Poverty Or Discourage Work? by the Tax Policy Center
• We reduced child poverty by historic rates. Congress can do it again, but it must act now.
• Why there's a push to expand child tax credit
• White House: The Child Tax Credit
• U.S. Department of the Treasury: Child Tax Credit

Grounding

UUSJ grounds this action firmly in our 2nd Principle, “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations,” noting that the UUA has suggested this principle “drives us to work for healthier and more equitable economic systems. We strive to build communities where everyone is supported in living healthy, safe, and sustainable lives.”

UUSJ also sees a connection to our 1st Principle, “Respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person,” and 7th Principle “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” as well as the 8th Principle, which UUSJ has voluntarily adopted, and which encourages “journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”

The Unitarian Universalist Association has a consistent history of statements and resolutions encouraging congregations, churches, and fellowships to engage in social justice action related to hunger and poverty issues.

• Hunger - 1980 Social Witness Statements: General Resolution
• Ending Hunger - 1987 Social Witness Statements: General Resolution
• 2017 Escalating Economic Inequity Statement of Conscience
• 2021 The COVID-19 Pandemic: Justice. Healing. Courage. Social Witness Statements: Action of Immediate Witness