The uphill battle to resurrect the US child tax credit that lifted millions from poverty

Monthly payments became a lifeline for many families, and their lapse had a devastating effect, but the policy seems to have no path forward in the Senate

If the negotiations over Democrats' Build Back Better Act had gone differently, tens of millions of American families would have received checks on Tuesday. Instead, for the third month in a row, the monthly payments from the expanded child tax credit were not distributed.

The monthly checks, which were approved last year as part of Joe Biden's coronavirus relief package, had become a lifeline for many families struggling to financially recover from the pandemic. But the payments came to an end in December, after Democrats failed to pass their Build Back Better Act, which would have extended the policy.