Over 50 Mayors Call for Extension of Monthly Child Tax Credit

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,

Mayor Jim Kenney
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mayor Paul Deasy
Flagstaff, Arizona

Mayor Regina Romero
Tucson, Arizona

Mayor Amy Goodwin
Charleston, West Virginia

Mayor Steve Williams
Huntington, West Virginia

Mayor Dave Casebolt
Nitro, West Virginia

Mayor Josh Miller
Ravenswood, West Virginia

Mayor Glenn F. Elliott Jr.
Wheeling, West Virginia

Mayor Randall Woodfin
Birmingham, Alabama

Mayor Robert Garcia
Long Beach, California

Mayor Eric Garcetti
Los Angeles, California

Mayor Libby Schaaf
Oakland, California

Sam Liccardo
San Jose, California

Mayor Darrell Steinberg
Sacramento, California

Mayor Todd Gloria
San Diego, California

Mayor London N. Breed
San Francisco, California

Mayor Melvin Carter III
St. Paul, Minnesota

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba
Jackson, Mississippi

Mayor Quinton Lucas
Kansas City, Missouri

Mayor Tishaura O. Jones
St. Louis, Missouri

Mayor Nancy Kaboolian
Ardsley, New York

Mayor Bill de Blasio
New York, New York

Mayor Dan Horrigan
Akron, Ohio

Mayor Nan Whaley
Dayton, Ohio

Mayor Paige G. Cognetti
Scranton, Pennsylvania

Mayor Ron Nirenberg
San Antonio, Texas

Mayor Kate Gallego
Phoenix, Arizona

Mayor Corey Woods
Tempe, AZ

Mayor Martha Guerrero
West Sacramento, California

Mayor Michael B. Hancock
Denver, Colorado

Mayor Muriel Bowser
Washington, District of Columbia

Mayor Keith A. James
West Palm Beach, Florida

Mayor Lauren McLean
Boise, Idaho

Mayor Daniel Biss
Evanston, Illinois

Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe
Bloomington, Illinois

Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Chicago, Illinois

Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati
Moline, Illinois

Mayor Michelle Wu
Boston, Massachusetts

Mayor Robert F. Sullivan
Brockton, Massachusetts

Mayor Joseph M. Petty
Worcester, Massachusetts

Mayor Rosalynn Bliss
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Mayor Jacob Frey
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mayor Sylvester Turner
Houston, Texas

Mayor Cassie Franklin
Everett, Washington

Mayor Jennifer Gregerson
Mukilteowa, Washington

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway
Madison, Wisconsin

Mayor Paul T. Esser
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Mayor Luke Diaz
Verona, Wisconsin

Mayor Katie Rosenberg
Wausau, Wisconsin

Mayor Dan Devine
West Allis, Wisconsin

Mayor Levar Stoney
Richmond, Virginia