Republicans push for bigger families – but their tax bill could exclude millions from child credits

Estimated 17 million kids would be ineligible for tax credit because their parents wouldn't make enough to qualify

Republicans' newest tax bill threatens to exclude millions of families from a tax credit meant to ease household financial burdens, even as conservatives are increasingly claiming to tout policies designed to entice families to have more babies.

One provision in the bill, which runs nearly 400 pages, seeks to raise the child tax credit from the current $2,000 level to $2,500 per child - but an estimated 17 million children would be ineligible to receive the full credit because their parents do not make enough to qualify, according to a congressional estimate. Another provision of the bill would require a US citizen child's parent or guardian to possess a social security number in order to claim the credit; if the child's parents are married and file their taxes together, both parents would need social security numbers.