‘Moral Imperative’: Hawley urges expansion of the child tax credit

WASHINGTON — Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor emphasizing the need for reform and expansion of the Child Tax Credit to more effectively support and cultivate American families.

“The test of this Congress will be whether we strengthen America’s families and whether we deliver for America’s working people,” Senator Hawley said. “Because in those families lies the hope of this nation, and in those working people resides the wellspring of our great national strength.”

The Senator condemned the current state of the economy, saying there is something “fundamentally wrong” with an economy where working people cannot afford to have the children that they want or provide for their children through their own labor.

Senator Hawley’s proposal would expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to reward work, support families, and put tax dollars back in the hands of working parents. His plan would increase the current CTC from a maximum of $2,000 per child to $5,000 per child, apply the credit to payroll taxes, and allow families to receive the tax credit in regular installments throughout the year, rather than as a lump sum during tax season.

Senator Hawley was also one of three Senate Republicans who voted for last year’s bipartisan tax package that included an expanded CTC.