Herring urges Congress to make expanded Child Tax Credit permanent

One in seven children in the United States live in poverty, and in Virginia at least 245,000 children live in poverty.

This is why Attorney General Mark R. Herring has joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general in urging Congress to permanently extend the expanded Child Tax Credit, which provides a proven and systemic solution that would lift millions of children out of poverty.

“The Commonwealth is home to at least 245,000 children who live in poverty, and the sad reality is that means they will most likely be disadvantaged in many other areas of their life as well,” Herring said. “The Child Tax Credit has proven to be incredibly effective in lifting children out of poverty, which is why I’m calling on Congress to extend the program permanently. Children are the future of Virginia and they deserve to live full, happy, healthy lives regardless of how much money their family has or where they live.”

In the letter, the coalition calls on members of Congress to permanently extend the expanded CTC in the upcoming reconciliation package. The coalition highlights how the CTC provides a solution to address the wide range of harms and costs of childhood poverty on children, families, and state governments. Attorney General Herring and his colleagues are calling on Congress to offer a federal solution through a permanent, expanded, and fully refundable CTC.

Low-income children face higher rates of food and housing insecurity, worse health outcomes, and decreased chances of academic and career success. Childhood poverty also has negative effects on state costs and budgets, including additional healthcare and special education spending, higher child protective and criminal justice costs, and lower tax payments and foregone revenue.

A permanent, expanded, and fully refundable CTC would lift about half of poor children out of poverty and bring myriad benefits to millions of children and their families, from better infant health to improved chances of finishing high school, enrolling in post-secondary programs, and earning higher incomes in adulthood.

States would benefit from these effects as well as from increased consumer spending in state and local economies and decreased government spending on costs such as healthcare and special education.

The letter also urges Congress to provide sufficient funding to raise public awareness about the CTC and make the sign-up process easier to navigate. This additional funding would help ensure that the CTC reaches the most vulnerable families and communities.