By Andrew Duehren and Andrew Restuccia
WASHINGTON -- President Biden told a group of lawmakers that he
intends to propose a temporary extension of an enhanced child tax
credit, rebuffing requests from some Democrats who favor making the
new benefit permanent.
As part of a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package Democrats
passed earlier this year, Congress raised the child tax credit to
$3,000 from $2,000, setting it at $3,600 for parents of children
under age 6 and making parents of 17-year-olds eligible. The
credit, which scales down above certain income thresholds, is fully
refundable and was designed to be paid in intervals, rather than in
one lump sum.
But the expansion of the tax credit, which advocates said would
slash child poverty in the U.S. in half, is only set to last
through 2021, and some Democrats have sought to make it permanent.
Mr. Biden had previously signaled he might also back a permanent
expansion.
At a meeting at the White House on Tuesday with members of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Mr. Biden said that he expects that
proposing a permanent expansion of the tax credit would run into
trouble in the Senate, according to lawmakers at the meeting. When
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D., N.M.) said she asked Mr. Biden
about making the expanded tax credit permanent, Mr. Biden said he
planned to propose extending it by several years.
"He said 'I'd love to do it permanent, but I'm not sure that I
can get that through the Senate,' " Ms. Leger Fernandez said. "You
could tell he was interested in making it permanent, that was the
back and forth on that."
The one-year expansion of the child tax credit in the relief
plan cost roughly $100 billion, according to the Joint Committee on
Taxation, meaning the price tag on a permanent expansion could run
into the trillions. Republicans opposed the $1.9 trillion relief
plan, attacking it as an expensive laundry list of Democratic
policy goals.
"Look, it's a costly proposal, we get that. We think it's a
worthwhile investment for the American public. But I understand
that from a CBO perspective, you know, people have to make these
things work," said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D., Calif.), who attended
Tuesday's meeting, referencing the Congressional Budget Office,
which also scores the cost of policy proposals.
Mr. Biden's remarks to lawmakers come as the White House
prepares another major spending package, focused on education and
antipoverty efforts, in a follow-up to its $2.3 trillion
infrastructure plan. While the details of the second package are
still being worked out, people familiar with the measure said it
could cost more than $1 trillion, with funding money for child
care, paid leave, universal prekindergarten education and
tuition-free community college. The cost is expected to be offset
with tax increases, including an increase in the top income-tax
rate and higher taxes on investments gains.
"The details of that package are still being finalized, so
speculation as to its final contents is premature at this point,"
White House spokesman Michael Gwin said in a written statement.
The Washington Post previously reported that the White House is
considering proposing a temporary extension of the child tax credit
through 2025 as part of a roughly $1 trillion package.
In a statement Tuesday, a group of Democrats called on the White
House to propose making the expanded child tax credit
permanent.
"No recovery will be complete unless our tax code provides a
sustained pathway to economic prosperity for working families and
children. Permanent expansion of CTC will continue to be our
priority," the group of Democrats, which included Reps. Rosa
DeLauro (D., Conn.), Suzan DelBene (D., Wash.), and Ritchie Torres
(D., N.Y.), and Sens. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), Cory Booker (D.,
N.J.), and Michael Bennet (D., Colo.).
Temporarily extending policies before warning of the
consequences of letting them expire is a common tactic on Capitol
Hill. Republicans are already arguing to extend provisions of the
2017 tax law set to expire after 2025, including a bigger standard
deduction, lower individual tax rates and a larger estate-tax
exemption.
As they look ahead to the next White House proposal, Democrats
are also considering how to proceed with Mr. Biden's infrastructure
plan. Lawmakers and the White House are holding a series of
meetings to determine whether a bipartisan compromise is possible,
with a group of Senate Republicans working on a counteroffer of
roughly $600 billion to $800 billion.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said Tuesday he
could support a modest infrastructure bill that is paid for. The
Biden administration has proposed increasing taxes on corporations
to cover the cost of their $2.3 trillion plan, though Republicans
have rejected those tax hikes.
"We're open to a more modest and targeted infrastructure bill,"
he said. "And for myself, it's one thing to run up the national
debt when you have a 100-year pandemic. And just to keep routinely
adding trillions of dollars, the national debt, I think is
ill-advised for the future of the country."
Write to Andrew Duehren at andrew.duehren@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 20, 2021 18:38 ET (22:38 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.