[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 124 (Thursday, July 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4912-S4913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Child Tax Credit

  Madam President, on a final matter, the CTC, I have a little chart 
here. Over the past 20 years, the cost of raising children in America 
has become ludicrously expensive. Everything--from diapers to housing, 
to healthcare, to college tuition--has risen in price, some of it 
rather steeply and dramatically.
  Wages, unfortunately, have not kept pace, putting strain--ever more 
strain--on American parents. The cost of childcare alone can be roughly 
equivalent to buying a new car every single year. That is a big burden 
for so many families.
  The pandemic, of course, made life even harder on America's families. 
So, in the American Rescue Plan, Democrats made sure that it included a 
dramatic expansion of the Federal child tax credit, to give families a 
little extra help during the once-in-a-century crisis.
  And today--today--I am very proud to announce that tens of millions 
of Americans are going to see extra money land in their bank accounts, 
the first of monthly checks that will be disbursed through the expanded 
child tax credit. Let me say that again. Because of this law passed by 
Senate Democrats--sadly, unfortunately, not a single Republican voted 
for this much needed measure that will help the middle class and the 
poor--a vast majority of Americans, because of what we did, what we 
Senate Democrats did, will begin receiving a monthly check of $300 for 
each child under 6 years old, and they will also receive $250 every 
month for each child between 6 and 17.
  Combined with the credits that apply next tax season, these payments 
total up to $3,600 for every child under 6 and $3,000 for every child 6 
to 17. In short, it will amount to a substantial and potentially life-
altering tax cut--tax cut--for American families.
  If you are a middle-class mom or dad, this money will help defer the 
cost of groceries, rent, childcare, and maybe diapers, if you have an 
infant. Boy, they are expensive. I remember when my kids were little, 
compared to today, the cost. You can spend that money on something else 
if you need it, and it is going to go a long way to reducing the 
burdens that families face.
  It also helps those kids in poverty. The expanded child tax credit 
will cut

[[Page S4913]]

childhood poverty nearly in half. Four million American children, they 
expect, will be lifted. And when you are a child born into poverty, 
through no fault of your own, you may not have proper nutrition and 
food. You may not have proper education or healthcare or housing. And, 
by the time you are 14 or 15, you are in a big ditch. Now, many, to 
their credit, climb out on their own, but this will prevent so many 
from going forward into that ditch.
  So it helps the poor, and it helps the middle class. We are proud of 
that.
  To all of America's moms and dads, check your bank accounts this 
week. Check your bank account. You may not even know this is happening. 
If you filed taxes in either of the past 2 years, or in both of them, 
and you qualify for the credit, you will see this money automatically. 
If you didn't file taxes in either of the past 2 years, you can go 
online--irs.gov/childtaxcredit--and sign up today. Let me repeat that, 
folks, for you listening. Go to irs.gov/childtaxcredit and sign up. It 
is very simple and easy to sign up, and as long as your kids have a 
Social Security number, they can get it.
  Republicans have for a very long time claimed to be the party of tax 
cuts, but when you read the fine print, it turns out that the 
Republican Party is the party of tax cuts for the wealthy and the well-
connected.
  Democrats are sending this check to American parents for the child 
tax credit, $300 per month, courtesy of President Biden and Senate and 
congressional Democrats. Again, unfortunately, every Republican voted 
no.
  And I want to give a lot of credit to Senator Bennet of Colorado and 
Senator Brown of Ohio and Senator Booker of New Jersey and Senator 
Wyden of Oregon and so many others who fought for this issue and helped 
make it a reality that today is going to happen.
  So we say to the parents of America: Starting today, help--real help, 
significant help--is on the way, not just for the wealthy, as the 
Republicans like to give it, but for the poor and the middle class.
  I yield the floor.