There seems to be an end in sight for the stalemate on the approval of President Joe Biden’s request for the Senate to pass his economic spending plan as Senator Joe Manchin who had criticized the bill demands some modifications.
Biden had proposed to extend the child tax credit, which made about $300 monthly payment to about 36 million households since it began in July. The last check for the year was paid on December 15.
The West Virginia Senator criticized Biden’s plan as posing a risk to inflation.
Manchin said the bill must include a work requirement in order to ensure accountability before he gives his approval. His stand was, however, criticized by fellow lawmakers who said that raising children worked.
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Yahoo News reported that Manchin said there was no test to ensure the credit reaches the families who need it most and that it’s led the program to be more expensive than necessary.
“Do you believe people making $200,000 and $400,000 should still get the child tax credit the same as someone making $50,000, $60,000, or $70,000 that really needs it?” Manchin said. The $200,000 and $400,000 levels are where the child tax credit phases out faster for individual or joint tax filers; households making more than those levels each year already aren’t able to receive the full credit.
Yahoo News also reported that Manchin had raised concerns months ago to his Democratic colleagues that parents would waste the payments on drugs.
