Expanded Child Tax Credits delivered to American families

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) –If you have young children, look for an extra $250 in your bank account Thursday, or maybe more. Millions of families are getting their first payment from the expanded Child Tax Credit: $3,000 per child, more for some, in monthly payments that started Thursday, July 15.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “The expanded child tax credit provides working families $250 each month for every child six to 17 years old, and $300 each month for every child under six years old.”

From the White House, President Biden said the credit helps lift 39 million families out of poverty. That’s a done deal. The rest of his American Families Plan faces big hurdles on Capitol Hill. The president’s priorities—health, child care, climate change—are now embedded in Democrats’ $3.5 trillion plan that they’ll try to push through with no Republican votes.

Republican Senator Mitt Romney stated, “3.5 trillion number is a shocking figure, it is something that Republicans, I think, will uniformly oppose.”

Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) said, “What we’re seeing here are the outlines of the Democrats’ radical train—their freight train to socialism—and everybody one way or another in America is going to end up paying for it.”

“We have an agreement,” President Biden said. “There may be slight changes. I’m not sure what may happen, exactly how it’s going to be paid for.”

Lawmakers are still tweaking how to pay for the more traditional infrastructure plan for fixings roads, bridges, transit and the internet.

All this comes as President Biden hosts German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her last visit. The White House said they’ll discuss climate change, the pandemic and international security.