The following is a statement from UpTogether CEO Jesús Gerena in support of the temporary Child Tax Credit expansion in The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 negotiated by Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith:

Lana, a resident of Austin, Texas, told us unrestricted cash from a guaranteed income pilot “assures me that I’ll have a roof over my head.” She was also able to buy a car to be able to go purchase food and other necessities. Lana called the investment in her family, which includes children and grandchildren “a blessing.”

UpTogether has thousands of these stories from our members about how unrestricted and recurring direct cash helped them pay for childcare, train for a better job, pay off debt, start a business, and enroll their kids in summer camp. Since 2020, we have distributed more than $210 million in unrestricted cash to more than 210,000 individuals and families.

That’s why UpTogether supports the proposed bipartisan Child Tax Credit expansion, which would allow more families to have increased choices and control over their lives. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the CTC expansion would lift as many as 400,000 children out of poverty in its first year alone. By 2025, the temporary expansion would lift more than half a million children above the poverty line and provide assistance to millions more children experiencing financial hardship. 

While this proposed CTC expansion falls short of the expanded Child Tax Credit passed by Congress during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, it would still provide substantial relief for families. Presently, many families do not receive the full tax credit or receive no benefit at all from it because their household incomes do not meet current eligibility requirements.

UpTogether will continue to advocate for a permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit at the level it was during the pandemic and other policies that provide unconditional, recurring cash to financially under-resourced households and communities. Poverty is a policy choice, as we saw 3 million children return to poverty when the expanded CTC ended. With this newest temporary CTC expansion, we can choose to help more families and children.