Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign is seemingly attacking Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), former President Donald Trump’s running mate, for his support of expanding the child tax credit and making it permanent.
“JD Vance’s attacks on childless Americans is even vile. He called for higher taxes on those without children,” Ammar Moussa, Harris’s rapid response director, wrote on X referring to Vance’s longtime support for the child tax credit and expanding its benefits to American parents.
JD Vance’s attacks on childless Americans is even vile.
He called for HIGHER taxes on those without children. https://t.co/TNeRDYnSd9
— Ammar Moussa (@ammarmufasa) July 26, 2024
Harris’s campaign headquarters’ X account also posted a clip of Vance describing his support for an expanded child tax credit to ease the burden of taxes on American families, including large families.
“If you are making $100,000, $400,000 a year and you’ve got three kids, you should pay a different, lower tax rate than if you are making the same amount of money and you don’t have any kids,” Vance said in 2021 during an interview with Charlie Kirk. “It’s that simple.”
In an attack line, Harris’s campaign headquarters’ X account went after Vance for his support of an expanded child tax credit.
“JD Vance says adults without children should have their taxes raised because we should ‘punish the things that we think are bad,’” the account wrote on X even though a child tax credit expansion does not raise taxes on Americans without children.
JD Vance says adults without children should have their taxes raised because we should “punish the things that we think are bad” pic.twitter.com/25PPL9EwRU
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 26, 2024
In response, Vance noted that expanding the child tax credit is typically bipartisan. Indeed, the child tax credit has previously been backed by Senate Democrats, including Harris.
“Most Americans in both political parties support the child tax credit and lowering the tax burden for parents,” Vance wrote on X. “It’s disturbing that the Kamala campaign is running on such an extreme anti-family agenda that they’re taking radical positions like this.”
Most Americans in both political parties support the child tax credit and lowering the tax burden for parents. It’s disturbing that the Kamala campaign is running on such an extreme anti-family agenda that they’re taking radical positions like this. https://t.co/3NUCEgYF5h
— JD Vance (@JDVance) July 26, 2024
The Trump campaign and conservatives responded to the attack as well:
Lie. @JDVance said NOTHING about raising taxes on anyone – he said parents of 3 kids should pay LOWER taxes.
Why is Kamala doubling down on OPPOSING the child tax credit? https://t.co/bqmRbdCoX1
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 26, 2024
🚨🚨🚨
Kamala Harris campaign comes out against the child tax credit.
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) July 26, 2024
JD Vance just got the entire Democrat Party to come out against the child tax credit and admit they’re anti-family
Chess not checkers
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 26, 2024
JD Vance proposed expansion of child tax credits to make it more affordable for American families to have children. Kamala Harris’ campaign has now come out against this.
Why doesn’t Kamala want Americans to be able to afford to have children? Insane! https://t.co/OKZ2T6IyRJ
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) July 26, 2024
Earlier this year, Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) laid out an expansion of the child tax credit which would, among other things, adjust the credit for inflation. Vance, at the time, suggested support for the framework.
“We’re the party of families … I think it’s important to actually [have] a pro-family policy,” Vance said. “If you’re raising children in this country, we should make it easier, not harder. And unfortunately, it’s way too expensive and way too difficult.”
Vance and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) have been highly influential in mainstreaming the idea of an expanded child tax credit among Republican lawmakers.
Vance has also sounded the alarm over the nation’s tumbling birth rates, advocating for financial policies to help raise United States birth rates — an issue also considered bipartisan.
“We should worry that in America, family formation, our birth rates, a ton of indicators of family health have collapsed,” Vance said in 2021. “… we should give resources to parents who are going to have kids. We should make it easier to raise American families. And we should send the signal to the culture that we are the pro-family party and we’re going to back it up with real policy.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
