One of the things that drew me to endorse early a young, first-time U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio, JD Vance, was a sense of shared understanding and passion for the typical struggling family. Vance, now vice president, told his moving family story in his 2016 bestselling book (also a popular Ron Howard Netflix film) Hillbilly Elegy. To read the vice president’s moving account was to relive many of the struggles I saw growing up as a preacher’s kid among the mountains of Appalachia. Those experiences never leave you.
It wasn’t surprising, then, to see then-Sen. Vance gravitate toward policies aimed at lifting the family. One of the policies he quickly embraced as a senator was expanding and making permanent the child tax credit, something the organization I lead, Concerned Women for America, has also strongly supported. The reason is simple: A strong America depends on strong families.
President Donald Trump made the fight for struggling families a staple of his highly successful political campaign. He strongly supported the child tax credit then and has picked up the theme today as he looks to provide financial relief for middle- and low-income families. We are thankful for his sincere and practical approach to strengthening middle-class families.
Now, Congress has the chance to stand with the Trump administration in fighting for this crucial benefit for families by making the child tax credit permanent as part of the budget reconciliation process. An “America First” agenda must be an American family-focused agenda. Congress should reject those who urge using family-focused provisions such as the child tax credit as bargaining chips. Helping struggling families in tangible ways at this crucial moment in our history should be nonnegotiable.
Offering relief for families has always been the best policy choice, but more so today. Years of mismanagement under the Biden-Harris administration have crushed families under historic inflation and border policies that have made the American dream a nightmare. Many families gave up on the dream of owning a home as they struggled to keep up with multiple jobs while education and healthcare costs, among others, continued to rise.
Now more than ever, it is crucial for Congress to prioritize any effort that allows Americans to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. It may not seem like much, but the child tax credit was life-changing for many of the mothers I represent. This is not hard to imagine, with some estimates concluding the total costs of raising a child in 2023 were between $15,000 and $17,000 a year.
HOUSE GOP RELEASES TAX CUT BILL TEXT WITH TEMPORARY $2,500 CHILD CREDIT
That is why most Americans support the child tax credit by wide margins (75% to 19%). Women, in particular, are sensible about the need for support for the care of their children. Studies show that we are heavily involved in the household’s economic decisions, especially concerning children. We also have a heart for the unique challenges of single motherhood.
Many conservatives in Congress, along with the president and vice president, recognize that they have a unique opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children and families for years to come while at the same time sending a clear message that will resonate with the grassroots heading into the midterm elections. It would be wise for them to seize this opportunity.
Penny Young Nance is CEO and president of Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
