Representative Adriano Espaillat Touts Benefits of the Child Tax Credit to District

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) spoke on the House floor in support of expansion of the Child Tax Credit and highlights impact to families across New York's 13th congressional district. 

Click here to watch video of Espaillat's remarks. The following are remarks as prepared for delivery:

"Madame/Mister Speaker, when the Child Tax Credit was originally expanded by the American Rescue Plan in 2021, it provided a lifeline to families during economic hardship.

"The benefit allowed families to receive an extra $3,600 annually for kids under the age of 6 and $3,000 for children older than 6. In my district, the child tax credit provided $185 million to 123,000 children and 47,000 families. The expansion lifted 13,700 children in my district out of poverty.

"In my district, the median household income is $48,638 with 26.8% residents below the poverty level. Emergency room visits from children with asthma are 20 times higher in the Bronx than other boroughs. On average, 28% of residents in my district are paying 50% or more of their income in rent.

"In the City About 84% of the 475,000 households earning below the federal poverty line were severely rent burdened. Students in the school districts in my district receive some of the highest rates of Title I funding in the city. I am heartened to hear negotiations that would include expanding the credit for low-income families.

"However, the agreement FAILS to make the full child tax credit available as a refund to families with little or no taxable income, which the 2021 pandemic relief law allowed. So, under the framework, the lowest-earning families will receive no Child Tax Credit.

"It is crucial that the tax framework be improved to ensure a substantial tax cut to working class families."