[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 183 (Friday, November 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       STOP EITC AND CTC SEIZURES

  (Ms. GARCIA of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the earned income tax credit and 
the child tax credit are some of the most effective, bipartisan 
antipoverty programs to come out of Congress; yet many hardworking 
individuals are unable to access well-earned EITC or CTC refunds.
  In some cases, the U.S. Treasury has seized an individual's tax 
credits if they owed student loan debt. These tax credit seizures, in 
many cases, have pushed families into homelessness. Some have lost 
their homes; some have lost their cars; others can't even put food on 
the table for their loved ones.
  I am filing a bill this morning that seeks to protect these most 
vulnerable people from EITC and CTC seizures. It would prohibit the 
Secretary of the Treasury from automatically seizing an individual's 
EITC or CTC refund for the purpose of paying back student loan debt.
  This is the right thing to do. No one should have to decide between 
paying off their student loan debt and providing for their family.

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