# The End Child Poverty Act: What It Actually Does

This bill creates a new monthly cash payment program for children and makes major changes to how the tax system helps families. Here's what would actually happen if it became law.

**The Main Program: Monthly Payments for Every Child**

The bill establishes a universal child assistance program that would pay money directly to every child in America each month. The payment amount is calculated based on the poverty line—specifically, it's one-twelfth of the difference between what the government says a two-person household needs to live on versus what a single person needs. Based on current poverty guidelines, this would work out to roughly $70-80 per child per month, though the exact amount changes yearly with inflation. Any child under 19 who is a U.S. citizen, national, or qualified immigrant living in the country would qualify. Parents or guardians would need to apply through the Social Security Administration, though the bill makes it relatively easy—if you apply for a Social Security number for your child, you're automatically enrolled unless you specifically opt out. The government would also use tax return information to identify eligible children and enroll them automatically if they don't opt out. Importantly, this money wouldn't count against other benefits—if your family receives food stamps, housing assistance, or other aid, getting these child payments wouldn't reduce those benefits.

**What Gets Eliminated: Tax Credits for Families**

To pay for this program, the bill eliminates two major tax benefits that currently help families: the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The Child Tax Credit currently gives families up to $2,000 per child when they file taxes. The EITC is a refundable credit that rewards people for working, especially those with lower incomes—it can be worth thousands of dollars annually for working families. Eliminating these means families would lose these tax breaks starting in 2022. The bill replaces some of this with two new tax credits: a $600 credit for adult dependents (like adult children or elderly parents you support) and a $600 credit for adults ages 19-64 (or $1,200 if married filing jointly), though this adult credit phases out for higher earners.

**Who This Helps and Hurts**

Families with young children would likely come out ahead because the monthly payments would add up over the year and wouldn't be tied to how much you earn or owe in taxes. A family with three children would receive roughly $2,500-$2,900 annually in new payments. However, families currently benefiting significantly from the EITC—particularly working families with modest incomes—could lose substantial money. A single parent working part-time and earning $25,000 a year might currently receive $3,000+ from the EITC, which would disappear under this bill. The new adult credits wouldn't fully make up for that loss. Families without children would gain the new adult credit but lose nothing, so they'd come out ahead. Higher-income families would lose the child tax credit but likely wouldn't qualify for the new credits anyway.

**The Practical Reality**

This bill represents a fundamental shift in how America helps families—moving away from tax-based benefits you claim once a year to direct monthly payments like Social Security. The Social Security Administration would need to build an entirely new office to handle this. For families to benefit, they'd need to know about the program and apply (or be automatically enrolled). The bill includes funding for outreach in different languages and cultures to make sure people actually use it. The big question is whether the monthly payments would actually be enough to meaningfully reduce child poverty, and whether losing the EITC would hurt working families more than the new payments help them.

End Child Poverty Act

Tlaib, Rashida

End Child Poverty Act This bill replaces the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit with a universal child assistance program. The program establishes a set monthly assistance payment for each child of a taxpayer less than 19 years of age. The bill establishes an Office of Universal Child Assistance in the Social Security Administration for purposes of administering the assistance program. The bill also allows a $600 refundable tax credit for adult dependents and certain family members.