**The full conversation is available HERE**

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) hosted a discussion with Granite State families and child care providers to highlight the importance of the expanded Child Tax Credit and what it would mean for New Hampshire. Earlier this month, Kuster helped pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024. This bipartisan tax package would expand the Child Tax Credit, benefiting an estimated 29,000 children across New Hampshire in the first year. 

“The Child Tax Credit is a game-changer for parents and caregivers across New Hampshire – we must keep fighting to expand it and give hardworking families some breathing room,” said Kuster. “Thank you to the parents, providers, and advocates who joined me today to discuss how the expanded Child Tax Credit will impact New Hampshire and make a real difference in people’s lives. I will keep working to invest in our child care workforce, lower costs across the board, and help families thrive.”

“As full-time working parents, my husband and I send our son to daycare. Last year alone, we spent $16K on childcare, which is a big chunk of my salary. We must do more to support working parents with childcare-related financial support,” said Vanessa Desani, a mother from Nashua. “Since the Child Tax Credit extension would allow families to use the prior year’s income to calculate their credit starting in 2024 and 2025, this could help families like mine who may experience a temporary drop in their income due to maternity leave, caregiving, job loss, and more. The Childcare Tax Credit Extension is a good start in the right direction. Working parents are trying hard to contribute to our society and raise our kids, but we cannot do this if we don’t have the means to do so. I appreciate Congresswoman Kuster taking the time to speak with us today about this program and the ways that Congress can support New Hampshire families.”

“The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 that was recently passed by the House of Representatives will provide Granite State families, particularly economically vulnerable families, more monetary support to help pay their bills and provide their children with the food, goods, and services they need to thrive,” said Ross Ewing, Director of the Mary Stuart Gile Early Learning Center. “Not only will this legislation increase the refundable credit for families with children that have lower tax burdens, but will also tie future child tax credits to inflation. This will ensure that families with children get adequate funds to help combat rising prices. At a time when Granite State families are struggling to keep up with the high costs of childcare, groceries, and other basic goods and services, this legislation will help ease some of that burden. Child poverty is an ever-growing problem in our country, where families too often have to choose between whether they should prioritize food, heat, rent, or medicine for their children. The expanded Child Tax Credit offered here will help reduce the amount of these impossible choices Granite State families have to make.”

“NH Families appreciate the Congresswoman’s support on expanding the CTC. Expanding the CTC is critical: It allows parents to do things like afford childcare so they can work and take care of their families, it reduces child poverty, promotes racial equity, and helps families with low incomes make ends meet,” said Nancy Glynn, MomsRising Together & MomsRising Education Fund. “It allows parents to do things like afford childcare so they can work and take care of their families and it helps families feel less stressed when they are cashing out at their local grocery store. There are currently 39,000 children in New Hampshire left out of receiving the full CTC. Passage of this CTC expansion would be a tremendous step in the right direction in giving parents the resources they need to work, raise their families, and contribute to our economy, and also reducing child poverty. We know much more needs to be done in the coming years to make sure the full expansion of the CTC is made permanent – and, in the meantime, this bill provides us the opportunity to help millions of families right now and build momentum for the next step in our fight to make our tax code more fair and equitable.”

Kuster is a fierce advocate for supporting New Hampshire families and expanding the child care workforce. As Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, she championed provisions in this bipartisan tax package that lower costs for families, empower small businesses, and boost innovation.

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