Shaheen Statement After Republicans Block Bipartisan Tax Package to Expand Child Tax Credit, Lower Housing Costs and Support Small Businesses

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair of the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after Republicans blocked the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Workers and Families Act that would have lowered costs for working families, invested in housing and supported small business research and development: 

“This bipartisan tax package presented a real, rare opportunity for the Senate to come together to cut costs for millions of hardworking families across this country. If signed into law, this legislation would have cut taxes for working Americans, helped 16 million children—including 29,000 in the Granite State—created new, affordable housing and helped millions of small businesses retain employees and invest in things like new equipment, software and innovative research. Instead, Senate Republicans voted against a bill that passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming margin, choosing to put politics over people. 

“I’m disappointed by Republicans’ refusal to take meaningful, bipartisan action to cut costs and fuel economic opportunity for everyday Americans. Working families deserve a Congress that works on behalf of their best interests, and I’ll continue doing what I can to make sure folks in New Hampshire and across the country have the resources to support their families and opportunities to thrive.” 

Senator Shaheen has been a leader in advocating for lower costs for families. Earlier this year, she helped introduced the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act to permanently expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which helps households offset their child care costs. Shaheen helped introduce the Right Start Child Care and Education Act, which would make child care more affordable and accessible for working families by reforming the federal tax code. In 2021, Senator Shaheen led the effort to deliver $77 million in child care relief funding to the State of New Hampshire through the American Rescue Plan. Since then, she has worked to hold the state accountable for delays in distributing some of those federal funds and helped deliver grants throughout the state, especially in communities that lack access to child care facilities. 

Shaheen also champions work in the Senate to combat housing instability and increase affordability. Earlier this year, she secured two rural housing provisions signed into law that together will help to preserve existing rural housing, build new housing in rural areas and protect low-income renters in rural areas from losing their homes. Last month, she reintroduced the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act with U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to allow Americans living in manufactured homes to buy the land they live on and stay in their homes. Recently, Shaheen applauded action by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help preserve and revitalize manufactured housing with the launch of the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE). Shaheen helped introduce legislation to make the PRICE program permanent and supported $225 million for PRICE in the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill. Shaheen has also introduced the Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act to help local governments reduce homelessness as well as a bicameral bill that would protect the rights of residents of manufactured housing communities.  

As Chair of the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Shaheen has long led efforts in the Senate to support and deliver for small businesses across the country. Earlier this year, she convened a hearing to examine the urgent need to address America’s broken child care business model, not just for families but for providers, employees and the economy. In an op-ed, Shaheen then urged Senate Colleagues to consider and pass legislation, like the Right Start Child Care and Education Act, to address America’s broken child care system. Last week, Shaheen and U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced the bipartisan Coordinated Support for Rural Small Businesses Act, which would direct the U.S. Small Business Administration to designate an Assistant Administrator for its Office of Rural Affairs and codify ongoing cooperative efforts between the SBA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve support for rural small businesses. In the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2025, Shaheen secured historic investments that accelerate New Hampshire’s growth into a tech epicenter that bolsters the nation’s economic and national security.  

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