TAKE ACTION: Click here to ask your legislators to expand the Child Tax Credit today
In Michigan, 18% of our children live in poverty.
Families here in our state and around the country are working hard to make ends meet. They’re facing food and housing insecurities, high child care and transportation costs and other hardships.
Right now is a critical time for us to make a difference for these kids and their families.
Today, Congress has in front of it a bipartisan tax package that could make a major difference for our nation’s kids. It includes an expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) that will create more economic security—especially for those families with low incomes.
The expansion would lift as many as 400,000 children above the poverty line nationally in its first year and an estimated half a million children or more once it takes full effect in 2025.
Roughly 19 million children in our country are excluded from the full $2,000 federal CTC—receiving only a partial credit or none at all—because their families earn too little.
These are the families that need the credit the most, but they’re being left out—because of the credit’s upside-down structure, they’re receiving far less than middle- and high-income households. The new CTC legislation would, in its first year, benefit more than 80% of these children. That’s around 16 million kids total, including nearly half a million here in Michigan.
Many pandemic-era investments played a major role in reducing child poverty. As those investments come to an end, and as families continue to struggle to pay for basic needs, an expanded CTC would make a meaningful difference in the lives of our fellow Michiganders.
Of course, the proposed expansion is more modest than the enhanced but temporary Child Tax Credit offered during the height of the pandemic, but it is an important move toward combating child poverty at a crucial time, especially given that child poverty more than doubled in our country from 2021 (5.2%) to 2022 (12.4%) according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure. The U.S. Census Bureau points to the expiration of several pandemic-era supports, including the temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit, as playing a part in this troubling increase.
We have much to do when it comes to helping Michigan kids thrive, including some of our new policy priorities at the Michigan League for Public Policy, like creating a state Child Tax Credit and implementing a statewide Paid Family Leave program. But as we continue to fight for those policies, we recognize that the federal CTC is the foundation for so much positive change.
Time is running out, as Congress could vote as early as today on this bipartisan tax package. Let’s make sure we do our part to let leaders know that all American kids need their support.
TAKE ACTION: Click here to ask your legislators to expand the Child Tax Credit today
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Jacob Kaplan 
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
