The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, the tax bill that includes a small but significant expansion to the child tax credit, continues to be stalled in the Senate after passing the House in a 357-72 vote, a major win in a Congress that has not been marked by bipartisan agreement and has
The House and Senate will return from their Presidents’ Day recess this week without an agreement on the four funding bills that expire on March 1st, 2024, the end of this week. As previously reported, the House and Senate leadership were able to agree on topline numbers for the total FY 2024 budget that closely
On January 31, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, the bipartisan tax package that includes an expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 357-70 vote. The bill, which would help about 16 million children in families with low incomes in the first
On January 31, 2024, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing entitled, “A Blueprint for Prosperity: Expanding Housing Affordability.” It was generally agreed that to address the current housing crisis, the root causes must be identified. Some of the primary factors posited were market failure as evidenced by high demand and low supply of housing,
On January 17, 2024, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee hosted a hearing, “Pathways to Independence: Supporting Youth Aging Out of Foster Care.” CWLA submitted comments for the record. “Nearly 20,000 young people transition from foster care to independence without the benefit of formal reunification or an alternative permanency outcome each year. We share the
On Thursday, February 1, 2024, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) hosted a webinar entitled Taking a Fresh Look at Summer Meals. The organization emphasized the overall importance of these nutritional programs for children, which support youth physical and mental well-being and development. Students have the opportunity to obtain nutritious meals during the summer,
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) announced on Tuesday a bipartisan, bicameral tax proposal that includes improvements to the Child Tax Credit (CTC). CWLA is pleased that lawmakers have prioritized the reduction of child poverty in this tax proposal. Although the proposal is not as comprehensive as
Congress has returned to Capitol Hill and has a long list of priorities to address, including two impending government funding deadlines on January 19 and February 2, 2024. There has been good news on the budget front: it was announced on January 7 that House and Senate Leadership had reached an agreement on topline numbers
On December 6, 2023, Representative Kevin Mullin (D-CA) introduced the Poverty Line Act, which would update the way the Federal government calculates the federal poverty line by accounting for real costs and adjusting for regional differences. This would make millions more families eligible for safety net programs such as Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), LIHEAP (energy
On December 6, 2023, the House Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee held a hearing to “Expand Growth and Increase Prosperity for American Families”. Chairman Mike Kelly [R-PA] opened the conversation by talking about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, many of the codes of which are set to expire in 2025, and how he would