Republicans Cave to Marco Rubio

Tom Williams/Congressional Quarterly/Newscom via ZUMA

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It looks like Marco Rubio is getting his wish. Thanks to his threat to vote against the tax bill, negotiators are increasing the refundability of the child tax credit:

Taxpayers without income-tax liability will be able to get $1,400 of the $2,000 per-child credit, said Rep. Kristi Noem (R., S.D.), one of the members of the House-Senate negotiating committee. That’s up from $1,100 in the version that passed the Senate.

Of course, now they have to pay for it, perhaps by having the individual tax cuts expire in 2024 instead of 2025. If that’s what happens, then Rubio will have gotten an extra $300 for six years ($1,800) at the cost of losing the whole thing a year earlier ($1,100). That’s a net gain of $700, or $100 per year. Yippee.

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