Sunshine Sentinel

Recent reporting [shows] that some conservatives see [resurrecting] the expanded "child tax credit" as a "bargaining chip that we can use." The policy in question is a provision of the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan that gave parents up to $300 a month for every child in their household.

No work requirement. No real verification of any kind. Just cash…. This government child allowance – let’s call it what it is – stands in stark contrast to the real child tax credit, which supports families by allowing working parents to keep more of their hard-earned income….

We need a generous child tax credit to help families as they struggle to keep up with rising costs…. Washington should support families financially, but always in a way that safeguards the dignity of work and protects citizens from toxic dependency on government benefits.

My proposal to expand the maximum annual child tax credit to $3,500 ($4,500 for children under six) would do just that. Congress should support families by passing this common-sense reform as we approach the expiration of the 2017 tax reforms in 2025.

But Congress should stay as far away as possible from resurrecting the pandemic-era handouts. Not only did the child allowance benefit non-workers most, it also contributed to inflation, which continues to hammer working families….

If we want to be both pro-family and pro-work, there is a tried and true blueprint for success. We should increase the real child tax credit for working families. The Biden administration’s trial run of a universal basic income, on the other hand, should stay dead. 

Original source can be found here.