Statement Attributed to Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer | February 2, 2024
Feeding America urges the Senate to prioritize children and families and swiftly pass the expansion of the Child Tax Credit included in the tax legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives on a broad bipartisan basis.
The 2021 Child Tax Credit expansion helped cut child poverty nearly in half, showing that momentum to end hunger can occur when our lawmakers work together to create policies that help expand economic opportunity. The Child Tax Credit provisions in this bill would strengthen a powerful and proven tool to help ensure families can access the food and resources they need to thrive.
In 2022, more than 13 million children in the U.S.—1 in 5—faced hunger. This is the highest level of child food insecurity since 2014 and a significant increase from the prior year. The proposed Child Tax Credit expansion would help lift as many as 400,000 kids out of poverty in the first year alone while offering additional support to millions more children across the country, according to one estimate.
Hunger does not happen in a vacuum. Rising costs of living, including high housing and food prices, are straining families across the country. After the 2021 Child Tax Credit expansion expired, our country’s progress in reducing child poverty was reversed. That is why the current proposal to expand the Child Tax Credit is so important. The proposal would benefit 80% of the 19 million children whose families currently receive partial or no credit due to their income being too low. It would positively impact the day-to-day lives of millions of children by reducing hardships and stressors for families.
With this change, our country has an opportunity to help improve the economic circumstances of millions of families. Feeding America calls on the Senate to pass the expansion of the Child Tax Credit included in the bipartisan tax legislation as soon as possible.
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About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.