Child Tax Credit extension needed for Fla. families

Scott Simanski

Anita Cobb, 35, with her three kids (L to R) Amaria Cobb, 13, DJ Davis, 13, and Isaiah Cobb, 14 at St. Johns High School in St. Johns, Michigan on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.
Cobb works two jobs and the child tax credit comes in handy with various family expenses.

Many parents already received half of their Child Tax Credits in the form of six, monthly checks that started hitting bank accounts over the summer, and in 2022 will receive the remaining balance of the bonus Child Tax Credit.

For families like mine, the monthly Child Tax Credit has been a lifeline in dealing with the rising cost of everyday items.

I commute to my job as a medical researcher at a lab in Palm Beach County and I feel the pinch of Florida’s rising gas prices. It is only natural that a parent begins to worry about their monthly budget for groceries, utilities and child care, when simply getting to work becomes such a large expense. Because of the monthly $300 CTC payments, my wife and I can keep our budget afloa, and buy quality groceries for our child.

Extending the monthly Child Tax Credit another year is just good public policy. Studies from Washington University in St. Louis and Humanity Forward show that in less than half a year, the monthly payments have helped reduce poverty and food insecurity for over 36 million American families.

People across the nation are struggling with the rising cost of groceries, clothing for their growing children, or even the shipping cost of Christmas presents. Why wouldn’t we extend the CTC, so that every parent can have the sustainable resources to make sure all of their needs are met on a regular basis? Shifting back to the previous lump-sum model will not help our local economies adjust, nor would it help my family budget for the rest of the year.

Happiness to me is all about freedom. How can you be free to dream for your children if your whole existence is spent worrying about how you will feed your family, or pay for childcare, or pay for an operation, or keep a roof over your head? These are basic human rights that we all are entitled to, even in the midst of pandemic induced inflation.

I want to thank President Biden and his administration for their efforts to promote the general welfare and extend the Child Tax Credit. I urge other Florida families to share their own success stories and together we can keep this valuable program going another year. The monthly CTC truly gives parents hope and our children a fresh chance.

Scott Simanski is a resident of North Palm Beach.