The Biden administration on Tuesday launched a massive outreach campaign to get millions of families to file their taxes so they can receive the second half of payments from the child tax credit.
The first half of payments were direct deposits of up to $300 per month to most American parents, including families making up to $150,000 a year. The second half is payable as a credit on parents’ 2021 tax bill.
At a White House virtual event that included Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, several lawmakers and nonprofits, Vice President Kamala Harris touted the benefits of the child tax credit, saying it could cut child poverty by as much as 40%.
“Millions have families have used their monthly Child Tax Credit CTC check to put food on the table, to save for college, to cover daily expenses and pay down debt,” Ms. Harris said. “That is why this day of action is so important.”
President Biden last year increased the child tax credits to $3,600 annual for each child under 5 and $3,000 for children aged 6 to 17 as part of his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.
The amount received was based on 2019 and 2020 tax returns and aimed at helping struggling families cope with the economic hardship of the pandemic.
As prices for gas, food and other consumer products surge amid the highest inflation rate in 40 years, the tax credit could help struggling families weather the storm.
An estimated $193 billion would go to 58 million families that file taxes for an average credit of refund of $3,330, according to a White House fact sheet.
Republicans have pushed back, demanding the payments be tied to work, rather than just having the government dole out cash.
Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who is proposing a new benefits system for families, said he is sympathetic to calls for some nexus between work and child payments.
He said recipients should at least show they held jobs and paid taxes before they request child payments “so you don’t create a pathway to sort of a permanent life on the government largesse and an incentive to have more and more kids so you get more and more support.”
Mr. Romney said Mr. Biden appears to share his point of view that monthly payments seem to be more beneficial than providing a tax benefit at the end of the year.
However, the senator said Mr. Biden and liberals are pushing child payments on top of other social programs instead of curtailing or reforming duplicative efforts.
“My view is if you can find a way to economize and spend the money you’re already using and make it more effective that’s a better way to go,” Mr. Romney said.
The government sent out the payments on a monthly basis, starting in July to families who paid their taxes. That means there are six months’ worth of payments out there left unclaimed by people who haven’t filed their taxes.
On Tuesday, the administration urged parents to file the taxes so they could get the credit in the upcoming tax season.
Ms. Harris called on local governments and faith-based organizations to spread the word about the child tax credit. She encouraged Americans to remind each other at barbershops, Sunday dinners, and workplaces about the need to file their taxes.
“I believe I and I know our work will be worth it,” Ms. Harris said. “Because every family we lift up, we lift up the entire nation.”
The child tax credit expired at the end of 2021 after Congress failed to pass Mr. Biden’s social and climate spending bill.
Ms. Harris ignored reporters’ questions on how the administration planned to extend the tax credit without passing the sweeping spending bill.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.