The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C., 20510

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
1236 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C., 20515

Dear Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi,

On behalf of our communities and millions of families across the nation, we urge Congress to ensure that the fully refundable Child Tax Credit is extended as part of any final Build Back Better Act legislation. We cannot afford to stop this vital program at this time.

The pandemic’s continued disruption to families, small businesses, and to the fabric of our cities and towns has left the country with an uneven recovery and with a burgeoning set of disruptive forces that threaten more financial distress and uncertainty for working families and vulnerable populations.

Only five months into its temporary expansion, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) has already proven to be a critical tool to support families, dramatically reduce child poverty, and support our local economies. CTC payments—paid monthly and in advance—are particularly transformative for the children in our lowest-income households. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that in just the first few months of CTC payments, food insufficiency in low-income households decreased by 25 percent. Furthermore, the program has also helped remove barriers to work, according to a study by Washington University of St. Louis, Appalachian State, UNC-Greensboro, the Urban Institute, and Humanity Forward by helping families afford childcare, search for higher-paying work, or train for new jobs in a rapidly transitioning economy. And for our small businesses, the CTC is an economic engine—estimated to generate over $18.6 billion in spending in local economies each month while only costing $14.9 billion. This efficient, direct investment in children now will save on government spending over the long term on high-cost interventions such as crisis services, child welfare, and criminal justice system costs.

This sensible and targeted investment in our nation’s children creates economic growth, while protecting our families and reducing poverty for our cities’ most vulnerable populations.  As negotiations continue on the Build Back Better Act, we call on  Congress to extend this critical program to help families across America.

Sincerely,