, Columnist
Strengthen the Child Tax Credit Before Expanding It
Supporters of the benefit need to focus on ways to ensure that it retains its value in a period of high inflation.
Their benefits need protection.
Photographer: Larry French/Getty Images North AmericaThis article is for subscribers only.
The federal government’s child tax credit just had its 25th anniversary, but not everyone is celebrating. Some conservatives think it’s a runaway entitlement program. A few on the left would rather redirect the money elsewhere. Advocates, meanwhile, want to expand it — but don’t agree on how.
The critics are mostly wrong. But its supporters risk letting their conflicting ambitions obscure what matters: The credit is shrinking in value, and protecting it ought to be the top priority.