Jun 21, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Harris touts expanded child tax credit in trip to Pittsburgh

Kierra Frazier

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with the media at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. — Vice President Harris speaks with the media before boarding Air Force Two on June 18. Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday encouraged families to take advantage of the new child tax credit, arguing it's key cutting childhood poverty, The Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: The expanded tax credit, which was passed as part of the American Rescue plan, has the potential to decrease the number of impoverished children by 40%, the Post notes.

“When more families know about how they can get the relief, that is how we will be able to lift our children out of poverty,” Harris said. “That is how we will be able to lift up our nation’s middle class, as well.”
Harris was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to push for an infrastructure package.

The big picture: The credit was expanded to cover low-income families who don't earn enough to pay taxes and $15 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant. The credit families can access will be paid out next month, per Washington Post.

In a video released Monday, President Biden called for the tax credit to extend beyond 2021 to “ensure that all working families can raise their kids with support and dignity they deserve.”

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Harris touts expanded child tax credit in trip to Pittsburgh

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