Senator Reverend Warnock: “Extending this expanded Child Tax Credit is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. And I have found that to be true very often in our public policy – that more often than not, the right thing to do is the smart thing to do. And were it not for the politics of Washington, this would be a no brainer” 

On CTC/EITC Awareness Day, Senator Reverend Warnock spoke about extending the tax cut and encouraging Georgians to file their taxes to receive the second half of their tax cuts 

Senator Reverend Warnock: “This is the largest tax cut in United States history for working and middle class families”

 The expanded Child Tax Credit provides a tax cut for working families, would reduce childhood poverty in Georgia by an estimated 46%, and is generally available to all eligible taxpayers with children—including families with little to no income

U.S. Senator Reverend Warnock has been a stalwart champion for working families, including successfully pushing to include an expansion of the vital Child Tax Credit (CTC) program in the COVID relief package

Last month, Senator Warnock, along with several colleagues, urged the Biden Administration to secure an extension of the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC)

 ICYMI in the AJC: Warnock urges White House to prioritize renewing child tax credit payments 

WATCH Senator Reverend Warnock’s remarks here

Washington, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) joined a group of his fellow lawmakers, including Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), and U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), to encourage Americans to file their taxes to access the second half of their enhanced Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit, and to call for their colleagues in Congress to work with them to extend the tax cuts.    

Tuesday, February 8, 2022 is Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit Day of Action. Last month, Senator Warnock, a vocal advocate for the tax cuts, helped lead his colleagues in urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to extend the expanded Child Tax Credit. The expanded CTC has served as a tax cut for working- and middle-class families with children—cutting child poverty in Georgia by nearly 40 percent, and allowing millions of parents to go to work and keep up with the costs of raising a family. As of December 2021, more than $3.2 billion in funds from the expanded CTC program had been disbursed to 1.2 million households across Georgia, benefitting the families of more than 2.1 million Georgia children. Nationally, the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit—which tripled the tax cut from about $540 to approximately $1,500—provided a boost to 17 million working people without children in Georgia and across the nation at a precarious time for working- and middle-class families.

See below key excerpts from Senator Reverend Warnock’s remarks:

“Extending this expanded Child Tax Credit is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. And I have found that to be true very often in our public policy – that more often than not, the right thing to do is the smart thing to do. And were it not for the politics of Washington, this would be a no brainer.”

“And so I just want to underscore that this is the largest tax cut in United States history for working and middle class families. The largest tax cut in U.S. history for working and middle class families.”

“We want to give ordinary families a break. We want to give them an opportunity to thrive because we know that when ordinary people thrive, the economy thrives also. Because when ordinary folks have a few extra dollars – in a month – they buy, you know, extravagant things, like a coat for their kid. Food. They put their kids in extracurricular activities, they do things that support and strengthen our economy.”

“Let me say that this is not theoretical stuff for me. Most poor people in America are children, and I was one of those kids. I grew up in public housing. And I would not be standing here in the United States Senate if it weren’t for good federal public policy. I’m an Upward Bound kid. Pell Grants, Head Start. This gives all of our kids a head start. It is the right thing to do, it is a smart thing to do for these families and our economy.”

Watch video of Senator Reverend Warnock’s full remarks HERE. Download a full audio recording of Senator Reverend Warnock’s remarks HERE. 

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