Biden floats doubling child tax credit payments in February if January payments skipped

President Biden wants to double the child tax credit to send one-time payments of as much as $600 per child to most parents in February.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the extra money would make up for missing the January payouts if Congress can’t quickly restart the program when it expires at the end of this month.

“If we get it done in January, we’ve talked to Treasury officials and others about doing double payments in February as an option,” Ms. Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Senate Democrats have kicked further negotiations of the president’s stalled social welfare bill into the next year, endangering the continuation of monthly payments of up to $300 per child.

Ms. Psaki said that while the president still hopes for a deal in time to cut checks on Jan. 15, the administration has begun considering other options.

The child tax credit payments were enacted as part of Congress’ COVID-19 relief package. Democrats hope to include an extension of the payments as part of the president’s $1.75 trillion social welfare and climate bill known as the Build Back Better Act.

Negotiations on the bill stalled in the Senate ahead of the end-of-year recess with Sen. Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, refusing to sign on to the bill.

All 50 Senate Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote are needed to force the bill through the chamber without Republican support.

Mr. Biden on Thursday conceded that the big bill wouldn’t get passed before a self-imposed year-end deadline, though he insisted he hadn’t given up on reaching a deal.

Ms. Psaki echoed the sentiment on Friday.

“The president wants to see this move forward,” she said. “It’s a priority for him as soon as Congress returns.”