Temporary expansion of Child Tax Credit, passed in 2021, cut child poverty in half

When given opportunity to reinstate bipartisan, expanded Child Tax Credit payments for working families, Senate Republicans voted against the bill

WATCH HERE: Senator Casey urged his colleagues to support bipartisan bill on the Senate floor yesterday

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families, released the following statement after Senate Republicans killed a tax package which would have expanded the Child Tax Credit for 16 million children, provided tax support for businesses to invest in research, development, and manufacturing, and more. The bill passed the House, 357-70, with overwhelming bipartisan support in January, and was fully paid for by eliminating waste and fraud.

"In 2021, Congress did something miraculous as a body: we cut child poverty in half by expanding the Child Tax Credit. This bipartisan deal would have made millions of American children more economically secure, including half a million Pennsylvanian children in or near poverty. By voting to kill this bill today, Senate Republicans have failed their most basic obligation-to support and invest in American children and families when they need help."

Senator Casey has long led efforts in the Senate to uplift America's children and ensure they have the resources and support they need to thrive. In 2020, he released his report, Five Freedoms for America's Children, in which he outlined "five basic freedoms that our society must guarantee to our Nation's children"-the freedom to learn, be healthy, well fed, safe from harm and the freedom to be economically secure. Among many policy recommendations, the report called for expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

In 2021, Casey fought to pass the American Rescue Plan, which included a Child Tax Credit expansion that temporarily reduced child poverty by more than 50%. Since the expanded Child Tax Credit expired, Casey has repeatedly advocated for its reinstatement, including by voting for this bill.

As Chairman of the U.S. Subcommittee on Children and Families, Casey has also pushed to provide better economic security for American children in other ways, including the establishment of children's savings accounts. Earlier this year, Casey introduced the 401Kids Savings Act, which would create children's savings accounts for every single child in America, building lifelong wealth and economic self-sufficiency for kids from families with limited resources. Along with introducing the bill, Casey also released a new report called "401Kids: Building Wealth for the Next Generation," which shows how the policy proposed in the bill is already working in states around the Nation.

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