I am a child of two educators, one of seven children, and I am concerned that the increased costs of necessities such as food and housing make it difficult for families to succeed. So, I was happy to hear that last week the House of Representatives, including Rep. Chellie Pingree, overwhelmingly passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, the bipartisan tax bill that expands the Child Tax Credit. I thank them and urge Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins to pass the bill as soon as possible to help working families and reach 39,000 low-income children in Maine by increasing the Child Tax Credit.

Eligible families could see an average increase of $900 more per year. This could help parents like mine to pay for their utilities and feed their families. My parents relied on the Child Tax Credit to do exactly that – it was a lifeline for our low-income family, and given that costs of living have only increased with time, this bill is vitally important.

Of course, we should go much further, and expand the Child Tax Credit to make it monthly for when bills come due and make it fully available to all low-income and middle-class families, as this would provide them more stability.

Sens. King and Collins should pass the bill, so families can claim the new CTC on their 2023 taxes and get some breathing room.

Rachael Haskell
Portland