Washington – An amendment authored by U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) would deny children who lack a Social Security number access to the refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC). The amendment targets children known as “DREAMers,” who could one day be eligible for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The Ayotte amendment is expected to come to a vote during Senate floor consideration of legislation to restore military pension benefits. In response, the First Focus Campaign for Children released the following statement from First Focus Campaign for Children president Bruce Lesley:

“It’s wrong to target any child, especially when child poverty is already at the highest level in a generation. The Ayotte amendment targets the very DREAMers that both parties have sought to protect and threatens to drive them into poverty. We urge senators to reject this proposal which is a direct attack on children.”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit
www.ffcampaignforchildren.org.