$350 monthly payment: what has Utah Senator Mitt Romney said about the possible payment?
Other proposals have been submitted to continue the expanded Child Tax Credit, but they would be far more restrictive than originally proposed.
The expanded Child Tax Credit has not been sent out since the middle of December 2021. There is no movement from the Democrat wing of Congress on which parts of Biden's Build Back Better plan are negotiable. However, Republicans could end up doing the job for the Democrats by proposing an alternative that is likely to garner support from both sides of the aisle.
Utah Senator Mitt Romney's Family Security Act is very similar to what the expanded Child Tax Credit was, offering eligible families with children up to five-years old $350 a month, while children six-17-years old would get $250. In comparison, the Child Tax Credit initiated in the American rescue plan gave families $300 a month for children under six, and $250 for children between six and 17.
Despite the plans, the bill is yet to be formally proposed and is being negotiated across both sides of Congress. There is a large difference between the two plans that could prove a stumbling block, work requirements.
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What differences are there between the Child Tax Credit and the Family Security Act?
Perhaps the greatest difference between Romney's plans and those originally proposed by the Biden administration is that Romney's Family Security Act is likely to have a work stipulation included. This is in the form of work requirement programs that usually require benefit recipients to to work, volunteer or train for 80 hours a month.
Romney's plan would also allow parents to start claiming four months before the due date of a child, potentially providing an early boost to finances in preparation for the birth. Maximum monthly payments would be capped at $1,250. The payments would also be reduced is parents earn an amount of money over different thresholds.
The old Child Tax Credit plan was available to everyone and having work requirements would not be popular amongst progressive Democrats. However, if Republicans supported the bill then the lack of a progressive vote would not be important.
It is emblematic of the current Democrat administration that it could take a Republican proposal to force parts of Biden's plans through Congress.