For some of us, Jan. 15 was simply last Saturday. For those struggling to make ends meet during a health crisis, however, Jan. 15 marked the beginning of a return to poverty.
Since July 2021, families have relied on advance payments of the expanded Child Tax Credit—distributed on the 15th of each month—to feed, clothe and safely house their children. But no help came this past week because we let the expanded credit expire during an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and with prices rising on everything from groceries to utility bills.
The above is an excerpt of a piece originally published in The Hill.