For six months in the U.S., families had a monthly cash payment to help cover the costs of raising kids. But now, the expanded child tax credit has expired since Congress failed to pass the Build Back Better spending bill before the end of 2021. The expansion reached 61.2 million children across more than 36 million households in December. In Ohio, over 1.25 million families had been getting the monthly deposits of $300 per child under age six and $250 per child ages 6 to 17.
“Without the child tax credit, the future we have dreamed about doesn’t seem as solid," says Cincinnati parent Jason Carter. "It’s something that worries us. We’ve been working so hard to improve our quality of life. Now they throw another roadblock at us. How am I supposed to achieve the American dream?”
Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss what families are facing now isPolicy Matters Ohio budget researcher Will Petrik; Ohio Organizing Collaborative caring economy organizing director Tamara Lunan; and parent Jason Carter.
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