Family update

Axios - American families could get a surprise economic boost if Congress moves on a $78 billion tax deal reached by House and Senate committee leaders.An expansion of the federal child tax credit, which is included in the package, could lift as many as a half-million kids out of poverty, according to an estimate from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities... The bill faces an uphill battle in the House but would make it so millions more lower-income parents get a meaningful tax refund. Under the current law, parents can claim the credit on their taxes — up to $2,000 per child. But the tax credit now largely benefits middle- and higher-earning households.