(Photo : Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) arrives at the U.S. Capitol on September 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Senate is working on passing a funding bill for the U.S. government and an increase to the debt ceiling before a possible government shutdown at the end of the week.
Senator Joe Manchin is pushing for some significant changes with regards to the Child Tax Credit bill.
According to the Huffington Post, Manchin thinks that the current payouts and monthly dues are too generous. He also wants to exclude wealthier households from receiving the credit because they do not reportedly need the money.
Manchin also wants to exclude the poor households from getting a Child Tax Credit as their punishment for not making more money for themselves. The publication claimed that this is one way of indirectly saying that poor households are lazy.
The senator also wants to impose a work requirement so that the unemployment won't immediately be entitled to the child tax credit.
Manchin also complained that he's been hearing people getting checks with a combined 200, 300, and up to 400.
Joe Manchin can prevent Democrats from providing child tax credit
At present, most parents have been receiving $300 per month for each child younger than six years old. Parents with dependent children between the ages of six and 17 receive $250 monthly for each child.
The monthly payments for the credits are smaller for households earning more than $150,000 annually. And the maximum annual value credit for children ages six and below is $3,600.
At present, there are 50 Democrats in the Senate. And they all need to support the bill to continue providing parents with dependent children the help they need.
Since Manchin is also a Democrat, he could reportedly be the one that can prevent the bill from being passed.
However, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal also said that it might not be possible for Democrats to want to make the child tax credit rules stricter.
But there is still a chance that Manchin would get his way. After all, he has reportedly done it before.
Joe Manchin influential in making Democratic decisions
Earlier this year, the Democrats drafted the America Rescue Plan, and the majority of the members wanted to send $1,400 checks to most American households.
This phaseout rate is currently in place for the child tax credit. And this means that the payments would diminish over time for wealthier households. However, there's no cap on who could receive them.
But Manchin previously insisted that there should be a cutoff for joint tax filers with incomes above $160,000. And this is the rule that was passed together with the America Rescue Plan.
Meanwhile, this isn't the only change that Americans could see in the coming months.
According to Reuters, the White House and the Democrats are looking at strengthening income caps on electric vehicle rebates and free community college to shrink the current $3.5 trillion bill.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki didn't comment on the reports regarding income caps. But she stressed that not all American families are eligible to get benefits.
"Every family is not eligible for the child tax credit in this country. Every person is not eligible for the earned income tax credit," she said via Yahoo! News.
Related Article: Child Tax Credit: Here's Why You Might Have Received The Wrong Amount
