More than 40 racial justice organizations are calling on Congressional leaders to reinstate the enhanced Child Tax Credit. In a letter to Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer last month, these organizations wrote, “The impact of the end of monthly Child Tax Credit payments has been particularly profound — and painful — for communities of color.”
Big names like NAACP, the Economic Security Project, The Leadership Conference, Community Change Action, National Urban League, and Unidos are just six of the 40 organizations signing on to the letter.
Their inspiration is easy to understand. A CNBC report revealed that nearly 50% of the families who received monthly payments through the enhanced Child Tax Credit could not afford enough food to feed their families a mere five months after payments ended in Dec. 2021. In short, families are struggling.
Where the money went: Child tax credit used for rent, food and debts
How the enhanced child tax credit helped
According to an NPR report, enhanced Child Tax Credit benefits reached more than 61 million children, and the payments that landed in bank accounts between July and December 2021 cut child poverty by roughly 30%.
President Joe Biden hoped that the monthly payments would continue through at least 2025, but not a single Republican lawmaker supported the bill. So after six months of helping American families, the extended Child Tax Credit was killed in Congress.
Despite fears that the money…
