Evans Praises House Passage of Child Tax Credit Expansion
506,000 Pa. kids would benefit; Bipartisan deal would also restore an expansion of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
WASHINGTON (Jan. 31, 2024) – Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA-3rd) praised House passage of a bipartisan bill that would partially restore the expanded Child Tax Credit that lifted millions of American children out of poverty.
“We don’t agree on much in this very divided House of Representatives, so I am pleased that we came together and passed something that will help millions of children and families. I urge the Senate to stick to this hard-won bipartisan agreement and get it across the finish line. While I will keep pushing to do even more on the Child Tax Credit, let’s be clear: This bipartisan deal is a concrete accomplishment that anyone who votes for it can be proud of!” Evans said.
Evans said the expanded credit would benefit 47,000 children in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, which he represents, among 506,000 children statewide who would benefit, according to the Joint Economic Committee’s Democratic staff.
Evans serves on the influential House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax legislation and the IRS. Earlier in January, he joined in a bipartisan committee vote to move the bill to the full House of Representatives.
The nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities described one key part of the deal:
“The proposal would deliver a meaningful income boost to millions of families in the first year. For example, consider a parent who has a toddler and a second grader and earns $15,000 working as a food server. In the first year, the family’s Child Tax Credit would increase by $1,725, from $1,875 to $3,600. Half of the roughly 16 million children who would benefit under the proposal in the first year live in families who would gain $630 or more.”
Evans is also pleased that the bill would move to a “per-child” phase-in to ensure low-income families receive the same credit for each of their children, as higher-income families already do.
“The bipartisan deal also includes progress on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.It would restore an expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit that was in place from 2018 to 2021 and would expand affordable housing units for low- or moderate-income households.”
In a recent opinion piece, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, called the housing credit “a tried-and-true way of providing tax incentives to build more rental units for low-income households.” He added, “It works and already supports over 100,000 units a year in communities across the country. Increasing the credit will mean more much-needed rental units by this time next year.”
Evans said, “I was proud to vote for the expanded Child Tax Credit as part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan in 2021. While the new bipartisan tax deal is probably the best one that’s possible with the current narrow Republican majority in the House, I’ll also keep pushing for further expansion of the Child Tax Credit because it’s a proven poverty-buster.”
Evans represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North, South, Southwest and Center City Philadelphia. He serves on the influential House Ways and Means Committee, including its Subcommittee on Health. In addition to taxes, the committee also oversees trade, Social Security and Medicare. Evans’ website is evans.house.gov and his social media handle is @RepDwightEvans on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads.
###