It's the Brian Laird Show on WNYC.

Good morning everyone.

Hey, we actually get to start today

with the fact that there may be some surprising good news

for a change coming out of Congress, especially for Americans with

children, especially low-income families with children who ironically, some of

you know this, some of you experienced it,

saw child poverty rates drop dramatically

at the start of the pandemic, but have since gone back up.

For more than a year now, Democrats in Congress have been trying to strike a deal with

Republicans to revive the policy known as the Child Tax Credit or at least extend the

child tax credit that still exists. In exchange, in a deal that is

reportedly very close now to being struck, Republicans want to renew some corporate

tax breaks that had recently expired themselves.

Well, yesterday, two of the main lawmakers on tax issues, these are Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden, the Democrat from Oregon, and House Ways and Means Chair,

Jason Smith, Republican from Missouri, announced the two parties, at least the leaderships, had struck a deal.

Now the new deal is, well, kind of the same as the one they had tried to pass over a year ago.

At least the Democrats did.

Democrats would get a limited version of a child tax credit

in exchange for greater incentives for domestic research

and development and faster depreciation of certain kinds of capital investments for business.

I know that sounds wonky, but it affects a lot of people directly and will explain.

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