COVID-expanded child tax credit benefit nears lapse

By LISA MASCARO and ASHRAF KHALIL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s one of the most far-reaching of all the federal aid programs launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. The expanded child tax credit puts up to $300 per child directly into the bank accounts of families on the 15th of every month. But the last checks will go out Wednesday, with the program expiring unless Congress revives it for 2022. The Jan. 15 checks are in flux as lawmakers try to push President Joe Biden’s roughly $2 trillion social and environmental package into law. Studies show families are spending the money on food, school supplies and child care.