Residents are encouraged to contact Pennsylvania Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, Jr. and urge them to support families by keeping the expanded Child Tax Credit in the Build Back Better Act (HR 5376), which is awaiting action in the Senate.

Earlier this year, the Child Tax Credit was significantly expanded to provide up to $3,000 or $3,600 per child to families in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. For the first time, these payments were made to parents and guardians monthly starting in July, and have been sent to households with extremely low or no incomes.

Research shows this program has reduced poverty in the U.S. by nearly 30 percent. Census surveys have also shown that fewer families have been experiencing hunger and more families have been able to pay weekly expenses. The CTC has put real money into the pockets of Pennsylvania’s lowest-income families to help them pay for the things they need to keep their families safe and healthy.

But the expanded CTC expires this month unless Congress acts now. In fact, Dec. 15 was the last monthly payment that families will receive. The House passed the Build Back Better Act in November with a one-year extension of the CTC for 2022, but the Senate has not yet acted. This week, news reports indicated that Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia was pushing to remove the CTC expansion from the bill.

Please call Senators Casey and Toomey and tell them to fight to keep the CTC in the Build Back Better Act. We should not send millions of families back into poverty when the CTC has shown to be so effective!

Senator Bob Casey, Jr.: 202-224-6324

Senator Pat Toomey: 202-224-4254