I don’t need to tell you that our families are struggling. Everything is harder in a pandemic—affording rent, paying our bills, putting food on the table, affording childcare, and trying to do our jobs.

This is why we need real solutions that put real money in the pockets of struggling families.

Luckily there is an answer already working its way through the U.S. Congress: Expanding and increasing working family tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC).

***SIGN OUR LETTER NOW calling on your members of Congress to include an increase and expansion of the EITC and Child Tax Credit in the COVID package ⎯ and pass a permanent expansion of these working family tax credits this year!

Here’s what’s happening right now: This week, the House of Representatives is considering President Biden’s COVID-relief package, the American Rescue Plan, and in this bill they include a temporary expansion of the EITC and Child Tax Credit. People who have lower-incomes, are Black or Latino, have less than a college education, or work in face-to-face service occupations have long faced unfair barriers to high-paying jobs and opportunity due to structural inequality, which the pandemic and its economic fallout have increased.

The COVID-relief bill that is moving through the U.S. House and Senate makes the full Child Tax Credit available to all children except those with the highest incomes (sometimes called making the credit “fully refundable”), and makes an expanded EITC available to far more low-paid childless workers—the majority of which are women who are still helping support their families and grandchildren but are taxed into poverty year after year. [1] If we are able to get this passed in the COVID package it would result in historic reductions of child poverty and provide timely support for millions of people, including millions of essential workers.

We can make this happen in the next few weeks — we just need you to keep speaking out!

***Add your name to our letter calling on Congress to make sure increases and expansions of the EITC and Child Tax Credit are included in the next COVID package!

But we can’t stop there because the COVID package only includes a one-year expansion of the EITC and CTC. We must also urge Congress to make these improvements permanent. 

Expanding the EITC and CTC permanently will go a long way to pulling millions of families out of poverty and closing the women’s income inequality gap, especially among Black and Brown women due to structural racism. In fact, just expanding the Child Tax Credit and making it fully refundable, particularly making the payments monthly as is proposed, would reduce financial hardship and racial income disparities while also stimulating the economy.[2] One of the major strengths of these policies is how much they lift up women of color who are facing structural inequality, including 3.4 million Latinas, 2 million Black women, among many others. When you combine that with the changes being proposed to the EITC, we are talking about a massive anti-poverty program that would put historic levels of much needed cash into the hands of women, especially women of color. Not to mention, the boost in income provided by the EITC and CTC improves health and educational outcomes for women and their children. Research shows that the added income from tax credits makes the biggest difference to the youngest and poorest children. [3]

Who doesn’t want that!?

***Let your U.S. Senators and Representative know that the EITC and Child Tax Credit are a lifeline for millions of families and we expect them to pass both immediate relief in the COVID package and a permanent expansion of these working family tax credits later this year!

We’ve heard from you so much over the years about how important the EITC and Child Tax Credit is to your family. Imagine getting a monthly bonus in your CTC for children under the age of 6 or being able to access the EITC if you are a younger or older low-wage worker without children living in your home or finally getting the full credit regardless of your income? It would be a big deal for your family right? That’s why we need you to sign our letter and share this email with your friends and family so they can take action now! This is the type of tax policy we want Congress to be working on, not tax credits for the super wealthy and mega-corporations!

Thank you for taking action and speaking out for all our families!

-Elyssa, Donna, Kristin, and the entire MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder Team

P.S. Your stories really make a difference in this fight! I was just talking to our key tax champions in the Senate the other day and they specifically asked for stories from moms, parents, and caretakers on how the EITC and Child Tax Credit boosts their families. Can you share your story with us?

[1] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “House Ways and Means COVID Relief Bill Includes Critical Expansions of Child Tax Credit and EITC.” February 9, 2021.

[2] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “Making Child Tax Credit Fully Available Would Benefit 6 Million Women of Color.” July 16, 2020.

[3] National Women’s Law Center. “Expanding Refundable Tax Credits in Response to COVID-19.” December 3, 2020.