THE CHILD TAX CREDIT
NEWS AND OPINION
Marco Rubio's Deeds and Words Don't Match CNN Opinion
Sen. Marco Rubio's Bill Draws Charges of Hypocrisy from Immigrant Advocates
Miami Herald
Marco Rubio Accused of Hypocrisy, "Stabbing" Immigrant Kids "in the Back" Over Tax Bill Miami Herald
Rubio's Split Stance Frustrates Critics National Journal
Stop the Attacks on Our Nation's Children Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus
GOP Senators Push Legislation Tightening Laws on Child Tax Credit The Hill
Separating Fact from Fiction about the Child Tax Credit
Center for American Progress
Sen. Rubio Sympathizes With, Then Attacks, Blameless Children
Center for American Progress
Last updated JULY 10, 2012
Attacks on the Child Tax Credit Are Unrelenting
This past February, a coalition of Latino, faith, children, immigrant, labor and justice groups successfully helped to stop efforts by the U.S. House of Representatives to offset the cost of the payroll tax extension by denying the child tax credit (CTC) to immigrant families. Despite this victory, the attacks continue. Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) each have introduced legislation that would prevent individuals who file their taxes with an ITIN (individual taxpayer identification number) from obtaining the CTC. If either of these proposals is approved, the harm to millions of children, their families and their communities will be severe.
Much of the attack is being fueled by allegations that some people who’ve filed for the CTC or the additional child tax credit (ACTC) using ITINs have done so fraudulently. Neither the Rubio nor the Vitter bill addresses the issue of fraud but rather seeks simply to eliminate eligibility for millions of children and their families.
Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Harry Reid (D-NV), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) are pursuing a more sensible and appropriate path. They recently sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman regarding the allegations of fraud in the CTC program. These Senate leaders share a concern that the CTC should work as it was intended to and that the credit go to eligible individuals. They have no interest in harming taxpaying, law-abiding immigrant families and threatening the financial security of the children in those families.
TAKE ACTION
Contact your senators and urge them to oppose Senator Vitter’s bill, S. 577, and Senator Rubio’s bill, S. 3083, because those bills will:
- Harm millions of children.
- Punish taxpaying families.
- Compromise the economic wellbeing of local communities.
- Unfairly and disproportionately target Latino families.
Information about how to contact your senators is available here.
Additional Resources
THE CHILD TAX CREDIT
MORE NEWS AND OPINION
Congress Approves Tax Package and Protects the Eligibility of Millions of Immigrant Families for the Child Tax Credit
NILC news release
Negotiators Reach Tentative Payroll Tax Cut Deal CBS News
A Harder Squeeze on the Poor
New York Times
Tax Cut Shouldn't Harm Low-Income Families Philadelphia Inquirer
The Poverty Problem: More Than Mitt Romney's PR Misstep Politico
Talk About Class Warfare!
Center for American Progress
Immigrants and the Child Tax Credit by the Numbers Center for American Progress
Raising Taxes On Our Nation's Most Vulnerable Children? Huffington Post
Credit for a Mini Fire Engine
Huffington Post
Facts About ITIN Eligibility for the Child Tax Credit (NILC, 7/12, PDF)
Myths About the Child Tax Credit (NILC, 7/12, PDF)
Summary of S. 577: Senator Vitter’s Bill to Deny Child Tax Credit Eligibility to Millions of Children (NILC, 7/12, PDF)
Summary of S. 3083: Senator Rubio’s Bill to Deny Child Tax Credit Eligibility to Millions of Children (NILC, 7/12, PDF)
Letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from NILC Executive Director Marielena Hincapié thanking Sen. Reid for his efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of immigrant families (6/22/12, PDF)
Letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus opposing legislation that would undermine eligibility for the child tax credit (6/12/12, PDF)
Latinos Oppose Changes to Child Tax Credit (National Council of La Raza, 6/11/12, PDF)
Protecting the Child Tax Credit: Reject Eligibility Restrictions for Low-Income Families (First Focus Campaign for Children, undated, PDF)
Protect Low-Income Children by Defeating Restrictions to Eligibility for the Child Tax Credit (NILC, 1/12, PDF)
Letter from former NILC policy director Tyler Moran urging action to oppose funding the payroll tax credit on the backs of working families (1/31/12)
Sign-on letter from 52 groups opposing any changes in eligibility to the child tax credit (Jan. or Feb. 2012, PDF)
Sign-on letter from the Coalition for Human Needs to members of Congress (2/3/12, PDF)
Letter from the Congressional Hispanic and Asian Pacific American Caucuses to congressional leadership and conferees (2/3/12, PDF)
Letter to Rep. Nancy Pelosi from organizations representing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (2/3/12, PDF)
Spanish-language call to action (2/1/12)
