When Congress expanded the Child Tax Credit in 2021 to be available to all families with young kids, we cut child poverty by 40%. This made an incredible difference in the lives of millions of families!

Sadly, Congress allowed the expanded Child Tax Credit to expire. Now, they’re debating a tax package that would modestly improve the existing CTC, but it would still leave roughly 3 million of the poorest children behind. And it’s being combined with a corporate tax package with tens of billions of dollars in handouts to wealthy corporations. That’s not good enough!

Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s bill, the End Child Poverty Act, would create a universal, monthly child allowance of $428 per child. Since each child will be automatically enrolled at birth when they apply for their Social Security number, there is no need for annual paperwork. This benefit will simply continue every month until a child’s 19th birthday, ensuring that families and children have an opportunity to thrive.

The People’s Policy Project estimates that this bill would cut child poverty by 61% and cut the deepest child poverty by 93%.

The End Child Poverty Act would be administered by the Social Security Administration and would replace the Child Tax Credit and the child provisions of the Earner Income Tax Credit. It would provide more robust benefits and would cover the lowest-wealth families in the country who are left out of the current tax credit system.

Programs like the End Child Poverty Act have been a proven success in countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, which have some of the lowest childhood poverty rates in the world.

The People’s Policy Project’s Matt Bruenig calls the End Child Poverty Act “by far the best child allowance proposal introduced in Congress.” We know that the most effective and efficient way to reduce poverty and stimulate the economy is by directly giving people money—so that’s what our federal government should be doing.

Sign now to become a grassroots co-signer of Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s End Child Poverty Act, which would dramatically cut child poverty by providing families with a universal benefit from children’s birth through their teenage years.