The article claims that Democrats hijacked the credit to sneak in Universal basic income (UBI) and other policy positions that Republicans would not endorse.
Republicans must reclaim the Child Tax Credit as their own, according to a recent opinion piece in National Review
The Child Tax Credit was originally a Republican policy, with the first $500 version passed in 1997 during President Bill Clinton‘s term, with another Republican bill from 2001 to 2003 that doubled the credit to $1,000. President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama made the $1,000 credit permanent. In 2017, the Republican-controlled Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), doubling the child tax credit to $2,000, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump.
However, in 2021, the Democrats expanded the credit to $3,600 for younger children, and it was fully refundable and advanced, meaning monthly IRS deposits ahead of tax filing. This allowed families to receive the credit even if the parents were in the country illegally, leading to concerns that the credit was a backdoor to a UBI.
Republicans must define what the child tax credit
Republicans must define what the child tax credit is not and create a modest 2023 Republican child tax credit plan that strengthens work requirements for able-bodied parents and is not offered to children or parents without social security numbers. The credit should be indexed to inflation going forward, and Republicans should lower income eligibility to pay for the expansion of the credit. By doing so, the article argues, Republicans will be able to reclaim the Child Tax Credit as their own and reassert paternity of the policy while updating it for modern conditions.
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