RECOMMENDED READING
By making an expanded child tax credit available for one year to all but the wealthiest households, the Biden administration is aiming both to strike a major blow against child poverty and to create a political constituency to guarantee the benefit’s longevity.
Polling, however, finds the child benefits have lagged in popularity. A new YouGov/American Compass poll found that only 28 percent of voters said they preferred the expanded Child Tax Credit to be made permanent and go to “all families, regardless of whether they work to earn money.” This could be because of the credit’s slow rollout and the submerged nature of carrying out social policy through the tax code. But it could have more to do with the disconnect between policymakers in D.C. and working-class parents, particularly when it comes to family policy.
Recommended Reading
Can the Expanded Child Tax Credit Come Back From the Dead?
In a discussion of the potential for a permanent expanded Child Tax Credit, Rachel Cohen highlights American Compass research and Wells King’s analysis of the political environment.
What Family Policy Should Look Like in Post-Roe America
American Compass’s Wells King and Brad Wilcox of the Institute for Family Studies and AEI make the case for a conservative embrace of an expanded Child Tax Credit in a post Roe v. Wade world.
New Survey: Vast Majority Want Expansion of Child Tax Credit Tied to Work
PRESS RELEASE—New American Compass/YouGov survey finds Americans reject unconditional cash benefits outside context of pandemic relief.