More than 80 groups this week urged Senate leaders to take up the proposed expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) during the current congressional work period, which runs until late May. 

The groups, including the Coalition on Human Needs, signed a letter urging that the expanded CTC either be taken up as stand-alone legislation, or be attached as an amendment to must-pass legislation such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, whose deadline is Friday, May 10, although that could be extended. 

The expanded CTC, part of H.R. 7024, the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, passed the House on January 31 with an overwhelming, bipartisan 357-70 vote. It has since languished in the Senate. 

The measure would lift half a million children out of poverty by next year and provide critical relief to women and families. According to the letter delivered to Senate leadership, it would benefit 16 million children in families with low incomes during the first year, including one in three Black and Latino children, and three in ten American Indian/Native Alaskan children. 

In the letter, the groups noted both the important role the CTC would play in reducing child poverty, and the powerful bipartisan support that is behind the expansion. The measure has Democratic and Republican sponsors in the House and bipartisan supporters in the Senate. 

“No other legislation before this Congress would have anywhere close to the bill’s impact on reducing child poverty and helping families meet their basic needs,” the letter states. “Many senators on both sides of the aisle have indicated general support for the mix of business tax and CTC provisions in the bill.” 

But it warns that time is short – which is why the groups want to see the CTC expansion go through this month.  

“The longer we wait, the less likely it is that families will receive the breathing room afforded by this legislation, especially this year when so many families are struggling to afford groceries, rent, and other necessities for their children to grow and thrive,” the organizations wrote. 

You can view the groups’ letter, and see its more than 80 signers, here. In addition, more than 54,000 CHN supporters have sent letters to the Senate urging members to act – you can join them, here.