Congresswoman Barbara Lee Announces Benefits of Expanded Child Tax Credit for Families in California’s 13th District
An estimated 63 million across the country including 108,600 children in California’s 13th Congressional District will directly benefit from the Expanded and Improved Child Tax Credit
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Co-Chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, amplified recent data released on the expanded and improved Child Tax Credit included the American Rescue Plan, which shows over four million children have the potential to be lifted out of poverty through this expansion.
The American Rescue Plan included a temporary increase in the Child Tax Credit for 2021 and is making advanced payments to qualifying families. Previously, the amount was $2,000 and families with little or no tax obligations weren’t eligible for the program. Under this provision, the credit increases to $3,000 per child, or $3,600 per child under 6. It also allows 17-year-old children to qualify for the first time. The credit is paid out in monthly installments and the IRS will use prior-year tax returns to determine who qualifies for the higher credit.
This measure is expected to directly benefit an estimated 108,600 children in California’s 13th District. Beginning in July through December, all families who qualify will receive monthly payments, $250 per month per child aged 6-17, and $300 per month for every child under age six.
“It is unacceptable that millions of have fallen into poverty since the start of the pandemic and that families are struggling to keep food on the table to feed their children,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “The expanded and improved Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan, which will last for one year, will help lift four million children across our country out of poverty, including an estimated 10,300 children in our district alone. This is a critical step in our fight to end child poverty and help families get through this crisis, and it’s critical that we keep up our fight to make it permanent.
“I fought hard alongside Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro to deliver this relief for families and children. We have been advocating for this expansion for some time. I’m pleased we saw it through, but one year is not enough. We must take bold action and make these improvements permanent to end child poverty in our communities for generations to come.”
The expansion and improvement of the Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan was based on provisions from Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro’s legislation, the American Family Act, of which Congresswoman Lee is an original co-sponsor. Congresswoman Lee and Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, members of the House Appropriations Committee, commissioned the first-ever federally funded study on child poverty from the National Academy of Science, titled A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty.
For the data on the impact of the expanded and improved Child Tax Cred in each Congressional District, click here. Information on data methodology can be found here.