Democrats are seeking a massive — and expensive — expansion of the social safety net. Vice President Kamala Harris has proposed a major increase in the child tax credit as part of her presidential campaign. Instead of providing the benefit through a tax refund, she wants to send monthly payments to parents, even those who don’t work and don’t pay income tax. Republicans have expressed support for increasing the tax credit, but have expressed concern that it could become an incentive for some parents not to work.

For all its economic prosperity, childhood poverty remains pervasive in the United States. Children under 5 are the age group most likely to experience poverty and eviction, and more than one in six youth under 18 live below the federal poverty line. Meanwhile, it’s getting more and more expensive to raise a child, with the cost of food, childcare and housing rising.

“Expanding the child tax credit is the most effective option for reducing child poverty in America,” said Christy Gleason of Save the Children, a global humanitarian organization focused on child welfare. “Families ask for it. Voters demand it.”

Currently, the Child Tax Credit gives families $2,000 off their tax bill for each child under the age of 17 in their care. Families paying less than $2,000 in income tax get a smaller benefit, and parents who are out of the workforce get none.

Harris has made tax credit expansion central to his campaign messaging on the economy. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has a resume that includes approving a state child tax credit.

Former President Donald Trump doubled the amount of the child tax credit during his administration. His presidential campaign declined to provide details on his plans for the child tax credit, except to say that he would see it increase significantly.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, raised the possibility of raising the child tax credit to $5,000 so more parents can stay home with their children in an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation. But some Republicans fretted about extending it to parents who don’t work outside the home.

After voting down a child tax credit bill in August, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said for stay-at-home parents the benefit amounted to “cash welfare instead of relief for taxpayers who works”.

The stakes in this debate are high for parents who cannot work because of a disability or because they care for children or elderly parents. Many have been excluded from benefits because they do not earn income.

Kandice Beckford, 25, is among them. She was a nurse at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC, last year when her pregnancy made her too sick to work, forcing her to quit.

He was homeless even while earning a salary, bouncing between the homes of friends and relatives. When she left the hospital after giving birth in April, she still didn’t have a permanent place to stay. There was nothing she could do but connect with social service agencies—and pray.

“I’m a godly woman, so I really tried to leave most of it in God’s hands,” Beckford said. “It was worrying, but I tried not to let it take over my life and my thinking.”

Beckford’s story underscores the financial precarity many families—and single mothers in particular—face in raising children. If he does not return to work this year, he will not qualify for any benefits.

The Harris proposal would make every household eligible, regardless of income, providing $6,000 in benefits to families with newborns and $3,600 for each child thereafter. She wants to pay it in monthly payments so families don’t have to wait for a tax return. Harris plans to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay for the plan, in part by allowing tax credits passed under the Trump administration in 2017 to expire.

As president, Trump doubled the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 and raised the income ceiling, allowing families earning up to $400,000 to receive the benefit. The child tax credit passed under its administration will expire at the end of next year. If the next Congress and the president do not act, the credit will drop to $1,000 per child.

In 2021, as part of his American rescue plan, President Joe Biden expanded the credit to $3,000 per child — and $3,600 for children under 6 — and made it available to every household with citizen children, regardless of income them. It cut child poverty in half by one measure. But those gains were wiped out when it expired.

In September, Beckford finally checked into a shelter for women and their children in Maryland and was connected with a social service agency that helped her with many of the expenses that come with a new baby. including a stroller and car seat, clothing and toys.

When asked about her dreams for her daughter Inari, Beckford ticked off a list: She wants Inari to be smarter than she is and to get “the best education she can have.” Inari is already going through her developmental milestones and Beckford is enjoying her growth.

Her last wish was something that seemed basic but proved elusive to Beckford and many other American mothers.

“I want her to have a stable life,” Beckford said.

Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.