Child poverty surges after Child Tax Credit payments end
CBSN
The poverty rate for children in the U.S. has surged since monthly government checks from the expanded Child Tax Credit ended in December, according to a recent study from Columbia University researchers.
An additional 3.7 million children slipped into poverty in January, their analysis found. That pushed the national child poverty rate to 17% last month compared with 12.1% in December — the highest poverty rate for kids in the U.S. since the end of 2020, the researchers noted. A total total 12.6 million children were living below the poverty line as of last month, compared with 8.9 million in December, the study found.
Anti-poverty experts had warned that the end of the monthly payments could impact millions of children. The enhanced CTC, which expired on December 31 when the Build Back Better Act stalled in Congress, had provided a monthly payment of up to $300 per child — money that families said helped them pay for essentials like rent, food and gas.
