Families Deserve More from the Child Tax Credit

A Statement from the ABC Coalition Steering Committee and Parent & Caregiver Advisory Board

The Automatic Benefit for Children (ABC) Coalition, a parent-led group of national, state, and grassroots organizations working to advance a child allowance, is outraged by the tax and budget bill signed into law by President Trump on July 4. This bill will raise costs for families, taking food assistance and health coverage away from millions of Americans and excluding children from the Child Tax Credit who need the support the most.

The Child Tax Credit (CTC) plays a critical role helping families with the costs of raising children, but it can and should do much more. While the bill increases the CTC to $2,200 per child, it continues to leave behind at least 17 million children who will not receive the full credit because their families’ earnings are too low. To make matters worse, by requiring that at least one parent have a Social Security Number to claim the CTC on behalf of their children, the bill newly excludes 2.6 million U.S. citizen children from the credit. Read the full statement.