Lawmakers reach $78B deal that includes boosting child tax credit as shutdown looms

Congressional negotiators have agreed on a nearly $80 billion bipartisan deal providing tax benefits geared toward businesses and low income families, the leaders of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees said on Tuesday. The $78 billion package would temporarily expand the Child Tax Credit and boost the low income housing tax credit while also bringing back a range of deductions for companies, the two committee chairmen said in a joint statement.

The deal also includes disaster tax relief, among other provisions, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, a Democrat, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, a Republican, said of the deal. Any package must still pass both the Democratic led Senate and the Republican controlled House before President Biden could sign it into law at a time when lawmakers are scrambling to keep the government funded.

The agreement comes as Congress aims to avert a partial government shutdown and keep federal agencies operating into March by passing a short term spending bill to temporarily fund the US government, with some spending set to expire this week . It would generate more than $70 billion by curbing an employee retention tax credit passed amid the COVID 19 pandemic aimed at helping businesses avoid layoffs, Wyden and Smith said..