Iowa mother tells House panel child tax credit pays for specialized care; members push expansion

Sarah Curry, a mother of three from Glenwood, Iowa, told the House Ways and Means Committee that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s expansion of the child tax credit directly eased her family’s costs and allowed her to pay for therapies for one of her sons. "We redirect every dollar that otherwise would go to taxes to his therapies," Curry said during her five‑minute witness statement.

Curry described living on a 10‑acre, rural property with a husband who works as a radiation oncology nurse; the family benefited from the higher standard deduction and the higher child tax credit, she said. Committee members emphasized the near‑term risk from scheduled expirations: the hearing record noted members’ repeated references to a reduction of the credit from $2,000 to $1,000 if certain provisions are allowed to lapse.

Rep. Henson said she introduced the Providing for Life Act, a package that would further expand family supports, and described provisions that would raise refundable credits for children under certain ages and include paid‑leave and adoption supports. Henson said the package would raise the refundable credit to "$3,500 for kids under the age of 18 and $4,500 for kids under the age of 6" and would expand other family benefits.

Committee members used Curry’s testimony in questioning to press for permanence or extension of family provisions so that households with young children and families with special needs can plan for services and therapies. No legislative decision was made at the hearing; members said they would include witnesses’ written statements in the official record and could follow up with written questions.