Push to Expand Child Tax Credit Is Likely Dead

“Senate Republican leaders including Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are digging in against expanding any part of the Child Tax Credit in the lame-duck session of Congress,” Semafor reports.

“The Senate GOP’s resistance all but extinguishes the odds of Democrats clinching a last-minute victory on expanding the reach of the program to more poor families, which they had hoped to do before the new House gavels in next month under Republican control.”

“In return for an expansion of the child credit, Democrats have said they would agree to restore longstanding corporate tax deductions for research and development that were curtailed this year. But Republicans don’t view their offer as a serious trade, because Democrats are largely in favor of reviving the R&D provisions as well.”