Budget

House Ed and Workforce Committee Questions Secretary Becerra

On June 13, 2023, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing titled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Health and Human Services.” Committee members asked Secretary Becerra of the Department of Health and Human Services questions about children’s health-related to gender-affirming care and unaccompanied children at the border.

DOL Event on World Day Against Child Labor

In recognition of World Day Against Child Labor, on June 12, 2023, the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) and the Wage and Hour Division hosted, “Within and Beyond Our Borders: Collective Action to Address Child Labor,” which discussed the power of different actors in the lives of children victimized. Panelists included

Webinar: Keep Up the Fight to Improve the Tax Code for Kids

On June 16, 2023, First Focus on Child held a webinar, “Keep Up the Fight to Improve the Tax Code for Kids,” to discuss the importance of restoring the improvements of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. Senator Brown (D-OH) explains the importance of the Child Tax Credit in his career and

Congress Takes on Tax Reform

On June 7, 2023, Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D- CT), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), and Ritchie Torres (D-NY), reintroduced the American Family Act, legislation that would make permanent the expanded and improved monthly Child Tax Credit. The CTC was expanded as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, COVID-19 response legislation to help working families. The expansion

President Signs Debt Limit Deal

On Saturday, June 3rd, President Biden signed the debt limit bill, titled the Fiscal Responsibility Act, into law, one week after he and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had struck a deal on the details of the legislation and just ahead of the June 5th deadline. As reported last week, the bill raises

Debt Limit Deal Released

News broke on Saturday, May 27, 2023, that President Biden and Speaker McCarthy (R-CA) had reached an agreement on the key provisions of a bill to raise the debt ceiling until after the 2024 election. Both the White House and the Speaker of the House released talking points and statements about the agreement, and bill

Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act

On Thursday, May 25, 2023, Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL) joined with Representative Blake Moore (R-UT) to introduce the bipartisan H.R. 3662, Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act of 2023. The legislation would make the current Adoption Tax Credit fully refundable, removing income as a barrier to adoption. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI), Representative Randy Feenstra (R-IA),

Debt Limit Countdown Continues

As of this weekend no deal has been reached on raising the debt ceiling, despite promising reports earlier in the week that negotiations were going well. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Biden met on Tuesday to continue discussions, and top negotiators for each of them continued meeting throughout the week. On

TANF Assistance and Child Welfare Involvement

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a policy brief on May 12, 2023, exploring the connection between the TANF proposals in the debt ceiling negotiations and child welfare involvement. The paper cites research from Chapin Hall, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and others that illustrate that "policies that take cash assistance

The Cost of Cutting Cash Assistance

The Center on Policy and Social Policy at Columbia University released a new policy brief on May 16th, 2023, titled “The Costs of Cutting Cash Assistance to Children and Families: Changing TANF work requirements could cost society up to $30 billion per year.” This brief, a response to the House-passed debt ceiling bill, is timely

Value prop about becoming a member