In response to this morning’s announcement of a bipartisan deal to improve the Child Tax Credit, First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley released the following statement:
“Our nation’s children are facing rising rates of poverty, homelessness, hunger and other challenges that threaten their lives and future. This morning’s agreement on an improved Child Tax Credit offers an important step forward in the fight to end child poverty in the U.S. and to give every child what they need and deserve. We are pleased that some lawmakers put differences aside to make this deal possible, but it still faces a number of barriers to becoming law. The agreement focuses on lower-income children and would lift an estimated 400,000 kids out of poverty. If enacted this month, the improved credit would provide some urgently needed help to millions of children this tax-filing season. We look forward to working with Congress to continue to improve the Child Tax Credit and advance additional measures to meet the needs of all our nation’s children. We must keep working to end child poverty, alleviate economic hardship and ensure that all children, regardless of who they are or where they come from, can live healthy, happy lives. We will continue to advocate for enactment of the American Family Act and the Working Families Tax Relief Act. We only thrive when our children thrive.”