Denver – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the statement below on the inclusion of a child benefit based on his American Family Act in President-elect Joe Biden’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) proposal, which was released today:
“I am thrilled that President-elect Biden has included a child benefit based on the American Family Act in his COVID relief proposal. Families have borne the brunt of the pandemic, with parents often having to balance work in dangerous conditions with a lack of in-person schooling or available child care. We need to do everything we can to ensure kids don’t suffer long-term damage from this crisis, to support middle-class families, and to cut child poverty. I look forward to working with President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris to pass an expanded child benefit into law as part of our COVID relief efforts.”
President-elect Biden’s proposal increases the Child Tax Credit (CTC) from the current $2,000 to $3,000 for all children under 18 years of age and $3,600 for young children under 6 years of age. This proposal is projected to cut total child poverty by 45%; poverty for Hispanic children by 45%; poverty for Black children by 52%; and poverty for Native American children by 61%.
Bennet first introduced the American Family Act in 2017 with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). In the 116th Congress, the bill was reintroduced and cosponsored by 38 Senators as well as 188 Members of the House, indicating a major show of support from across the Democratic Caucus.
