Re: Take action, New York​​: The Senate must make two of the nation’s most effective anti-poverty tools even better

Friend, last week, the Biden administration launched the biggest anti-poverty program undertaken by the federal government in more than 50 years, delivering the first round of monthly Child Tax Credit payments to millions of American parents. [Sign and send a petition: Make the increases to the child tax credit and earned income tax credit in the COVID relief bill permanent.]( [SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION]( Here are three reasons we should make the child tax credit and earned income tax credit expansion permanent: - For Las Vegas father Dwayne Walker and his 9-year-old son, Tressan, the child tax credit means they aren't putting off back-to-school shopping for the first time in a long time. Dwayne received the payment just at the right time, saying “The timing is perfect, I was hustling really hard the last week,” Dwayne said. “My head was just above the water and [that was my life raft]( it came floating along.” - 52-year-old grandmother Mary Beth Cochran and her youngest daughter take care of five children between them. The child tax credit offers her family [financial security and flexibility](, meaning she can finally get out of the everyday cycle of having to worry about which bill can be paid or whether she can afford her medication. Now there's money for new back-to-school outfits, registration fees for extracurriculars, reliable transportation, and even the return of the Tooth Fairy, who has been on hiatus because money was tight. - Alexis Figueroa is a single mother of two children, ages three and one. A local community tax support group helped her fill out her application for the child tax credit, and her first payment landed in her bank account a day earlier than expected. She plans to use some of it to [take her children to the zoo](. It will be one of the few activities the family has been able to afford since the beginning of the pandemic. Families have gotten child tax credits for years, but Democrats in Congress made several key changes when they passed the American Rescue Plan. They increased payment amounts, included low-income families who have little or no taxable income, and changed how it is dispersed. While payments are smaller for higher-income families, parents and caretakers of nearly 90% of U.S. children will benefit. [American families struggled to make ends meet even before the pandemic. Expanding the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit permanently will help millions build back better. Tell the Senate to make the increases passed in the COVID relief bill permanent.]( [SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION]( Keep fighting, Monique Teal, Daily Kos P.S. Read more about how the CTC and EITC work together to curb poverty below. --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, even before the pandemic, hard work wasn't paying off for millions of people and their families — the cost of living has skyrocketed in most places, leaving families, especially families with children, strapped for cash and living paycheck-to-paycheck. Once the pandemic was in full swing, the hard times only got harder. Thankfully, Democrats in Congress passed a long overdue expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). With American families still struggling to make ends meet, it's now more urgent than ever that Congress make these expanded tax credits permanent. [Sign and send a petition: Make increases to the child tax credit and earned income tax credit permanent.]( [SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION]( In 2019, the CTC and EITC [lifted]( 7.5 million Americans out of poverty. The year before, in 2018, the credits helped 10.6 million people out of poverty. It gets better. The evidence [shows]( the credits also improve health, education and long-term employment outcomes, especially among children — meaning they may reduce poverty not only in the short term, but also in the next generation. Together, they are two of the nation’s most effective anti-poverty tools. [Sign and send a petition: Make increases to the child tax credit and earned income tax credit permanent.]( [SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION]( When Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan Act, they closed glaring holes, increased the size of the tax credits, and made both programs more accessible to more people. It is one of the biggest victories for working families in decades. However, the work isn't done. The expanded credits are temporary and will expire in 2022. And too many barriers still exist for many people, especially immigrant families. The best way to revive our economy and support America’s long-term recovery is by directly supporting the people who power it. Tell your U.S. senators to make the increased tax credits permanent. [Sign and send a petition: Make increases to the child tax credit and earned income tax credit permanent.]( [SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION]( Keep fighting, Monique Teal, Daily Kos Daily Kos Relies on Readers Like You We don't have billionaire backers like some right-wing media outlets. Half our revenue comes from readers like you, meaning we literally couldn't do this work without you. Can you chip in $5 right now to help Daily Kos keep fighting? [Chip in $5]( If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.