Booker to try to make child tax credit expansion permanent

Sen. Cory BookerCory Booker‘Bloody Sunday’ to be commemorated for first time without John Lewis It’s in America’s best interest to lead global COVID-19 vaccine distribution ABC names new deputy political director, weekend White House correspondent MORE (D-N.J.) said he’ll work to make permanent the temporary expansion to child tax credits that were signed into law as part of President BidenJoe BidenThe Memo: Nation rallies for Biden on his COVID-19 response Democrats debate fast-track for infrastructure package Japanese prime minister expected to be Biden’s first foreign visit at White House MORE’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.

Booker said at a press conference Friday that he’s been in touch with White House officials and business leaders on the effort. The stimulus package, which Biden signed into law Thursday, temporarily boosts the Child Tax Credit to up to $3,600 per child for children under the age of six and $3,000 for minors between the ages of 6 and 17, and makes them available in monthly increments. 

“I’ve tried to help coordinate a full court press in America to make the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit changes permanent in the United States of America, so we can join our industrial peers and invest in America’s children,” he said. 

Booker has long been a supporter of boosting the tax credit to reduce child poverty.

During his 2020 presidential campaign, Booker released a plan that he said would cut childhood poverty from nearly 15 percent to 5 percent. The plan called for a “childhood allowance” for families with kids, expanding on the current Child Tax Credit and authorizing a monthly payment program to give families a $300 monthly allowance for younger kids and a $250 monthly allowance for older kids up to age 18.

However, it is unclear what kind of support there would be for such a plan in both chambers of Congress given that the stimulus package in which the temporary tax credit boost was contained narrowly passed both chambers along party lines.