Richmond, VA — Millions of Virginians have received direct relief from Democrats’ American Rescue Plan, putting Virginia on track towards a strong pandemic recovery. Starting today, nearly nine out of ten families will begin receiving direct monthly payments of up to $300 per child to help them cover the cost of child care, pay the bills, afford health care, and more thanks to an expansion of the Child Tax Credit.
In Virginia, this is expected to help over 1.5 million children and cut the child poverty rate dramatically, an unprecedented and remarkably popular measure arriving at a crucial time for working families. Meanwhile, Republicans are completely opposed to Virginia families receiving the help they deserve. Not a single Republican in Congress voted for the American Rescue Plan, and Glenn Youngkin has called ARP spending “unnecessary” and “wrong.”
Today Democrats held a press call to highlight the benefits of the new Child Tax Credit and hear directly from a Virginia mother who already received her first payment. A recording of the press conference is available here.
Congressman Bobby Scott
“Together with President Biden we have created more than 2 million jobs since he took office, and unemployment claims have been cut by 50 percent. More than 100 million Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and more than two-thirds of adults in the United States have received at least one shot, so help is here. And thanks to the American Rescue Plan that Democrats passed into law, even more help is on the way for working families. [...]
“The Child Tax Credit monthly payments are tax cuts for working families that will help set American children up for success and put more money in the pockets of hardworking parents to pay for child care, or put gas in the car so they can go to work, or help fuel our economy while building better lives for their families. Nearly all working families — roughly 39 million households, covering almost 90 percent of children in the United States — should begin seeing their monthly payments automatically after today.”
DPVA Chair Susan Swecker
“The tax cuts Virginians are getting today are a huge win for working families across the commonwealth. [...]
This Child Tax Credit expansion is absolutely critical to our recovery from the pandemic. Virginia is on the right track thanks to Democrats. Our unemployment rate is significantly lower than the national rate, and at the same time Virginia workers are benefiting from the first minimum wage increase in over a decade thanks to Governor Northam Democrats in the General Assembly. [...]
With so many Virginians standing to benefit, and the expanded Child Tax Credit popular with Democrats and Republicans, it’s unconscionable to see Republicans like Glenn Youngkin standing against this.”
Chiquita Hubbard, mother from Newport News
“The American Rescue Plan that Democrats passed has helped families like mine get back on their feet. Granting families the Child Tax Credit provides families the opportunity to boost our finances, helping us to get back to work and interact with the community...Simply put, this is about making sure our children get what they need to grow and thrive. [...]
I know Glenn Youngkin might have trouble relating to folks who are as wealthy as he is. But the vast majority of Virginians are going to benefit from this tax credit that he is opposing. Leaving families without resources they need to provide for their families is just heartless.”
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