During a Facebook town hall meeting Monday, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) stated that Congress should not approve tax legislation that fails to benefit working families financially.
“We have an opportunity this fall to do the right thing for workers and families,” Brown said, noting 45 Senate Democrats have offered the Working Families Tax Relief Act, which would expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC).
“We know that Congress is interested in passing another tax bill – we have to unite around one clear message: No tax bill that doesn’t put more money in the pockets of working families.”
Proponents of the measure said EITC and CTC are two of the most effective tools to put money in the pockets of working people and pull children out of poverty, maintaining expansion would give millions of Americans a foothold in the middle class.
The bill allows workers to draw a $500 advance payment on their EITC, aiding families in avoiding payday lenders when the car breaks down or other unexpected expenses come up; expand the EITC for workers without children and make the credit available for people starting at age 19 up to age 67; and make the CTC fully refundable – enabling more than 26 million children left out of the Trump tax law to get support.