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| Wilson Backs Expansion of Child Tax Credit |
June 06, 2003 |
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Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today asked Speaker Dennis Hastert to give Members an opportunity to extend the Child Tax Credit to thousands of low-income families in her district and throughout the nation. Wilson also wants to see the sunset provisions removed so that the expanded benefit won’t be negated in the coming years.
“I urge Congress to make the Child Tax Credit include all families, regardless of taxable income. Doing so will affect thousands of low-income families in my district, and will also affect thousands of military families with income too low to qualify for the credit under HR 2.”
“Last month we passed landmark tax reform legislation to create jobs and reinvigorate our economy,” Wilson told the Speaker in a letter urging him to allow the House to take up legislation expanding the child tax credit to lower income brackets. “I was particularly supportive of the provisions that affect small business owners because they are the backbone of our economy. Most jobs in America are created by small business.”
“I understand the difficulty that conference negotiators faced in fitting many priorities into a $350 billion window, and I thank them for their work. However, there is at least one provision within HR 2 that I thought should have been more generous to low-income Americans. I believe that Congress should continue the traditional refundability of the Child Tax Credit.”
Wilson also hailed financial assistance for states like New Mexico that were projecting budget shortfalls in programs like Medicaid. HR 2, which passed Congress and was signed by the President in May, included $20 billion in financial assistance that will augment state budgets. New Mexico will receive $71 million in funding for Medicaid and $62 million of flexible funding that can be used by state government for “essential government services” or to cover the costs of unfunded federal mandates.
The Medicaid boost will be provided to New Mexico and other states through a temporary boost in states’ Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage, or FMAP, during the last two calendar quarters of FY 2003 and the first three calendar quarters of FY 2004. States will receive their shares of the $10 billion in “flexible funding” in two parts – half in FY 2003 and half in FY 2004. The FY 2003 funding will be available within about 45 days of the date of enactment (i.e. about mid-July). The FY 2004 funding will be available after October 1, 2003.
“The final package we passed will help Americans across the board, including valuable assistance to the states for programs like Medicaid, which helps low income Americans. This funding will help address budget shortfalls states face in Medicaid spending and gives a state like New Mexico opportunities to improve Medicaid. As you know, I am leading an Energy and Commerce task force looking at Medicaid, and I want to help improve the wellness of the low-income Americans who rely on the program. This financial assistance was a good step.”
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