Senate Fails to Act on Child Poverty

Washington, DC - The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is deeply disappointed in today's Senate vote to not move forward on The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024), which failed 48-44.

Contact Tim McHugh: [email protected], 202-903-2515

The bill paired a handful of business tax breaks with an expansion of the Child Tax Credit. It passed the House with broad bipartisan support last January. Had it passed the Senate, the bill would have benefited some 16 million children and lifted nearly half a million children above poverty.

"The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act was pro-family and anti-poverty. It's a shame some senators blocked it from moving forward," said Amelia Kegan, FCNL associate general secretary for policy and advocacy.

The bill would have expanded the Child Tax Credit for millions of low-income working families. For example, a parent earning $15,000 with two children would go from receiving $1,875 to $3,600.

"While this loss is very disappointing, it is not the end. We have seen growing bipartisan support to expand the Child Tax Credit. Today's vote lays the groundwork for important improvements in 2025, when Congress will revisit this issue as part of the expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," said Kegan. "Poverty is a policy choice. Despite today's result, we will not give up. We will build on this advocacy to expand the Child Tax Credit and bring relief to struggling families."

According to the widely followed Supplemental Poverty Measure, the 2021 child poverty rate dramatically dropped to 5.2% due to the expansions of Child Tax Credit as a part of the American Rescue Plan (P.L. 117-2). Then, just as quickly, child poverty shot right back up in 2022 to 12.4% when Congress failed to extend those expansions. This resulted in the single largest increase in poverty and child poverty on record.

"The numbers are clear. Poverty is a policy choice, and we can end it," said Kegan.

To learn more, please visit www.fcnl.org.

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