New, expanded child tax credits are back — and they may actually pass Congress

Congress, which has been setting records for a lack of accomplishments, may be on the verge of actually doing something big: passing a bill that could lift half a million kids out of poverty by next year.—

The proposal, which the House could vote on as soon as next week, involves an expanded tax credit for parents of children 16 and younger. If that rings a bell, congratulations, you've been paying attention. The proposed credit is a scaled-down version of a plan that passed during President Biden's first year in office, but only lasted one year.

Reviving some version of that has been a top priority of congressional Democrats ever since. Earlier this month, the chairs of Congress' two tax-writing committees, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Republican Rep. Jason Smith