(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion is proposing an expansion of the federal child tax credit, so parents would be able to retroactively claim it after a child is born. “Providing for your baby begins the moment you learn you’re pregnant, whether that means making those prenatal appointments, stocking up on diapers, or searching for child care. It all costs money,” Hinson says. “Unborn babies are human lives and they deserve both protection and support through our policies.” The proposal is part of the “Providing for Life Act” that Hinson has introduced in the U.S. House. It would raise the annual child tax credit to 45-hundred per child under the age of six and then 35-hundred dollars until the child turns 18.

“This will provide financial stability for families,” Hinson says, “and give parents the means to provide abetter future for their children.” The child care tax credit was raised to similar levels in the American Rescue Plan Act, which Hinson opposed, but reverted to two-thousand dollars per child at the end of 2021. Hinson’s plan would require parents to be employed in order to qualify for the credit and the credit would be reduced for higher income households. Other parts of the package would expand some federal food aid for mothers with small children and let parents withdraw their Social Security taxes to finance up to three months of parental leave.

“The pro-life movement was never to me solely about ending abortion. It has always been about how we look at valuing life at every single stage,” Hinson says. “When Roe v Wade was rightfully overturned last year, the next chapter of the pro-life movement began and I think we were all really given an opportunity to do more for unborn babies and also for new families.”

Hinson’s legislation calls for programs to support young parents on college campuses and would require food stamp recipients to cooperate with any child support obligations. Florida Republican Marco Rubio has introduced identical legislation in the U.S. Senate. Democrats in congress have been pushing to revive the temporary 36-hundred dollar per child tax credit that expired two and a half years ago. Democrats have also proposed a payroll deduction for employers AND employees that would finance up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.