Smith: The Conservative Argument for Reviving the Child Tax Credit as COVID Lockdowns Ravage Families

One of the most significant impacts of the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus is upon us, as a wave of Democrat-controlled school systems has begun announcing a return to indefinite remote learning.

Meanwhile, Democrats are proving incapable of responding to the pandemic in real time, and the child tax credit — the only thing keeping some families afloat — has expired. This one-two punch poses a serious financial challenge for working parents in a time of rising inflation.

With the child tax credit, Republicans have the opportunity to step in and save the day for parents in a year that could decide the legislative majority on Capitol Hill.

So far, the omicron variant has caused the most classroom interruptions in school systems across the country since August, when school reopenings were complicated by the emergence of the delta variant. Given the dramatically higher rate of transmission of the omicron variant, it’s unlikely the classroom disruptions will subside any time soon.

With the final monthly child tax credit payment sent to parents last month, many families will have limited options for managing a return to remote learning.

Since Democrats have failed to pass their partisan version of the benefit as part of a reckless spending bill, Republicans have an opportunity to take up the mantle and provide meaningful changes to the policy in a singular CTC renewal that will benefit the economic well-being of working-class families across the country.

According to a study conducted by Humanity Forward and the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, nearly 30 percent of parents spend some of their monthly checks on child care. The coverage for this expense is likely why one in four parents is actually working more hours thanks to the CTC, according to a recent survey.