First Focus Campaign For Children delivered a letter of support today to the sponsors of the Supporting Newborn Parents Act of 2026.
“Welcoming a newborn is when parents need support the most — and yet, the federal government chronically underinvests in infants and toddlers,” First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley said in delivering the letter. “In FY 2025, only 1.59% of all federal spending went toward supporting children under 3, even though decades of research show this is the period when babies are most sensitive to the effects of financial instability, including hunger, unstable housing, inadequate nutrition, and parental stress. With the costs of groceries, child care, prescriptions, energy, and other essentials continuing to rise, parents need a tax code that supports children and families — not billionaires.
“While we continue to strive to ensure all kids, including babies, are covered by a fully refundable credit, the bipartisan Supporting Newborn Parents Act moves policy in the right direction by making the baby credit available per child, allowing families to qualify beginning with their first dollar earned, and including an important lookback provision for families experiencing hardship or life changes outside of their control, including childbirth, that temporarily reduce earnings. This legislation — introduced by Reps, David Valadeo (R-CA), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Blake Moore (R-UT), and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) — is a needed step forward in the tax code that will help even the lowest-income families manage the costs of welcoming a new baby. Congress should recognize a rare bipartisan opportunity and support this legislation as progress.”