Child Tax Credit Improvement Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the child tax credit, and I support expanding and strengthening the child tax credit.

The problem is this bill does just the opposite for the most needy families with kids in the United States. They don't get a tax cut under this bill. In fact, they get deliberately left behind because this bill fails to extend a critical improvement to the tax credit that is only currently temporary in law, and they don't extend that.

I heard the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee earlier blaming that on the President, once again, as if the President made our Republican colleagues not include that provision in their bill. Extending the child tax credit is in the President's budget. Extending the child tax credit is in the House Democratic budget. Extending that child tax credit enhancement is not in the House Republican budget, and that is why it is not here today.

What is the impact of this?

The impact is to hurt our low-income families with kids. As Mr. Levin pointed out earlier, it is really ironic that, just yesterday, the chairman of the Budget Committee gave a big talk in Washington about how he wanted to ``start a conversation about poverty'' and ``help families get ahead.'' That was yesterday. Those were words. Here we are on the floor of the House today with an actual deed, an actual act--a vote that will put 12 million more Americans into poverty or deeper into poverty, 6 million of them children.

The President in his budget extends those benefits--those tax strengthening, tax-cut provisions--and pays for them by getting rid of some of the big tax breaks for corporations. The Republican approach has been just the opposite. In the last 6 weeks, they have permanently extended tax breaks for big corporations, but today, when it comes to the kids, they leave them behind. They don't extend those enhancements.

Who are these individuals? Let me point out to our colleagues the folks who are being left behind:

A single mother of two, working full-time at minimum wage, will lose a tax credit of $1,725. This is an individual who is making about $15,000 a year. These are the people we are trying to help with the child tax credit. Yes, we would love to expand it, but not at the expense of this single mom. Who else
gets left behind? It would be an Army private E-1--married, one child. They are going to lose $229 in their child tax credit because this Republican bill refuses to extend those enhancements.

Mr. Speaker, yes, let's strengthen it, but not at the expense of those most vulnerable families. I urge a ``no'' vote.

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