A bipartisan group of lawmakers has agreed to expand the Child Tax Credit again, but it will be smaller than the pandemic-era credit was. If this version of the Child Tax Credit is passed by Congress and signed into law, it would benefit 16 million children in low-income families and lift at least half a million kids out of poverty. We thought it would be a good time to revisit this episode from 2021 with professor Wendy Bach, in which she explains everything you need to know about what the Child Tax Credit actually is, why it's a good policy, and how it impacts people's lives. 

This episode originally aired on August 24, 2021.

Wendy Bach is a legal scholar and professor specializing in poverty law, criminal justice, and social welfare policy. She is currently a professor of law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Bach's work focuses on the intersection of poverty, race, and the criminal justice system, with a particular emphasis on the rights and experiences of low-income individuals. She is the author of the book Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care. She is a nationally recognized expert on poverty law and criminal justice issues.

Twitter: @wendyabach

Congress is close to expanding the child tax credit again − with a smaller boost for families this time https://theconversation.com/congress-is-close-to-expanding-the-child-tax-credit-again-with-a-smaller-boost-for-families-this-time-221382#

What’s in the New Child Tax Credit Proposal https://newrepublic.com/article/178131/bipartisan-expanded-child-tax-credit

Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care https://bookshop.org/p/books/prosecuting-poverty-criminalizing-care-wendy-a-bach/18739149?ean=9781108465533

Biden’s child tax credit is a step away from a discriminatory system https://qz.com/2034199/how-does-the-us-child-tax-credit-work

Two-thirds of people now receive monthly benefit checks https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2021/07/19/two-thirds-of-people-now-receive-monthly-benefit-checks

The time tax https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/07/how-government-learned-waste-your-time-tax/619568

Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com

Twitter: @PitchforkEcon

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Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer