WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) released a joint statement on new proposals to further expand the Child Tax Credit, which they successfully expanded in 2017 and tax return data confirmed has had a positive effect on millions of American families:

“We are encouraged by recent proposals to increase tax relief for working families. Upon our initiative, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act doubled the Child Tax Credit and expanded its eligibility to provide significant tax cuts to working parents with children.

“We have long said that the Child Tax Credit must be further increased to help working families. In the current pandemic relief bill under consideration, we would support increasing the Child Tax Credit to $3,500, and $4,500 for young children.

“However, we do not support turning the Child Tax Credit into what has been called a ‘child allowance,’ paid out as a universal basic income to all parents. That is not tax relief for working parents; it is welfare assistance. 

“An essential part of being pro-family is being pro-work. Congress should expand the Child Tax Credit without undercutting the responsibility of parents to work to provide for their families.”