Sponsors
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Jared Golden · Last progress February 13, 2025
The bill delivers direct monthly prenatal and child payments and new program oversight while eliminating the Child Tax Credit — providing targeted income support but creating fiscal uncertainty, administrative transition costs, and equity concerns that may leave some families worse off.
Low-income pregnant people and caregivers (parents/families) receive regular monthly prenatal and child payments — $800/month beginning at 20 weeks for eligible pregnant people and monthly child payments ($400 for children under 6; $250 for ages 6+) — with payments converting for up to 90 days after birth to avoid an income gap.
Repealing the Child Tax Credit simplifies tax filings for many parents and reduces administrative complexity for the IRS by removing multiple special rules and cross-references tied to section 24.
Establishes a Bureau of Family Statistics and annual reporting to Congress, improving program transparency and oversight of family-benefit delivery.
Low- and middle-income families lose the Child Tax Credit, which can reduce refunds or increase after-tax costs and may worsen financial stability or child poverty for households that previously relied on the credit.
The bill authorizes spending as 'such sums as are necessary,' creating open-ended fiscal exposure and budget uncertainty for taxpayers because there is no fixed cost estimate or appropriation cap.
Eligibility and application requirements (SSNs, income, provider info), SSA processing, and required tax-law changes create administrative and implementation risks — delays in access to payments, ongoing processing burdens, and one-time costs for tax software and preparers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a new Social Security Administration (SSA) program that pays monthly cash supplements to qualified pregnant women and to one qualified caregiver per eligible child. Payments run from pregnancy (at 20+ weeks) or from a child’s birth and vary by status: $800/month for pregnancies; $400/month per child under 6; $250/month per child age 6 or older; married recipients receive a 20% increase. Payments phase out with adjusted gross income above $125,000 ($250,000 for joint filers) and are capped at the recipient (and spouse’s) latest-year AGI. The law also repeals the federal child tax credit and makes many related tax-code and administrative changes. The SSA must accept applications, continue provisional pregnancy payments for up to 90 days after a birth while a caregiver’s application is processed, create a Bureau of Family Statistics, issue regulations, and report annually to Congress. Funding is provided by an open-ended appropriation (“such sums as are necessary”). The SSA program becomes effective the first day of the first calendar month at least one year after enactment; the repeal of the child tax credit applies to taxable years beginning after the first tax year that includes that calendar month (with a pro rata transition rule for short tax years).