As part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan, Congress passed and President Biden signed a one-year expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), making the credit available to all low-income families with children. This temporary expansion, which lapsed December 31, 2021, reduced hunger and poverty among our nation’s children more than any other single policy has ever done. A permanently expanded CTC would deliver monthly installments of $300 for children up to age 6 and $250 for children 6-17 and be equally available to all families starting at $0 income through middle-income status. A permanent CTC expansion not only contributes to better life prospects for the most vulnerable children in our nation but also offers a good return on investment because child poverty is estimated to cost the economy between $800 billion and $1.1 trillion annually. The costs come in lower productivity, higher healthcare costs, and more spending on social services such as public safety, assistance for people who are homeless, incarceration, and care for survivors of child abuse. In 2022, Bread for the World is working to make the Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion permanent. Estimates are that a permanent CTC expansion would reduce child poverty in North Carolina by 40-50%. Please plan to write a letter during our upcoming Offering of Letters to encourage Congress to permanently expand the CTC. Learn more about this year’s Offering of Letters at https://ol.bread.org/