News

Media Contact:

Jordan Baker                                                                       
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118

Statement attributable to Luis Guardia, President, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) 

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2024 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), along with other national anti-hunger organizations, signed a letter urging the Senate to quickly pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, which includes improvements to the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The Senate must oppose any amendments that could limit the impact of CTC for families struggling to put food on the table. This would include opposing amendments that would weaken or remove the “lookback” provision, which provides key flexibility for families with low incomes who might experience fluctuations in earnings due to circumstances such as economic hardship or caregiving needs.

As detailed in the October 2023 FRAC research brief, Expanded Child Tax Credits: A Transformational Opportunity to Help Families Put Food on the Table, an expanded and inclusive CTC is a powerhouse policy for addressing hunger among families with children and securing other positive outcomes for families and our nation.

The 2021 expanded CTC contributed to a dramatic reduction in hunger among households with children and helped families purchase food, including higher quality and quantities of food. Despite all of the many benefits, the expanded child tax credit ended at the start of 2022.

We cannot unravel the progress that was made.

While this act does not include all of the 2021 improvements, it is a critical step to alleviate alarming rates of hunger. Under this bill, approximately 16 million out of the 19 million children currently left out of the full or any CTC will benefit, and an estimated 400,000 children will be lifted above the poverty line.

FRAC urges the Senate to seize this opportunity immediately for bipartisan action to fight hunger by passing the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.

Hungry families can’t wait.

###

The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.