Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, pledges on her campaign website to protect the "Working Family Tax Cuts," the House's name for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Under that law, 19% of Minnesota children, about 233,000, are in families that earn too little for the full Child Tax Credit, Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy estimated.
The same law takes the credit from children whose parents lack a work-eligible Social Security number, and its larger child care credit gives nothing to the lowest-income working families.
Michele Tafoya's Pledge to Protect the Tax Law's Child and Family Provisions
- Tafoya Pledged to Protect a Law That Leaves 233,000 Minnesota Children Short of the Full Child Tax Credit. As of October 25, 2026, Michele Tafoya's Senate campaign website pledges to "Protect working families' tax cuts" and says "The far left wants to repeal the Working Family Tax Cuts that just put thousands of dollars back in Minnesotans' pockets." The House of Representatives' April 2026 resolution on the law states that Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is commonly known as the "Working Families Tax Cuts." That pledge covers the law's Child Tax Credit, which rose to $2,200 per child but kept the rules that limit the refundable part for families with low earnings. Under the law, more than 1 in 4 children (28%) under age 17 will be ineligible for the full Child Tax Credit because their families earn too little, Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy estimated; in Minnesota the share is 19%, about 233,000 children, up from 17% under the old credit.
- The Law Tafoya Pledged to Protect Took the Child Tax Credit From Children Whose Parents Lack Work-Eligible Social Security Numbers. The law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect requires at least one parent to have a Social Security number valid for work for a family to claim the Child Tax Credit. The National Immigration Law Center says the rule strips the Child Tax Credit from the approximately 2.6 million or more children in the United States with no parent on their tax return who has a Social Security number currently valid for work; Brookings researchers say up to 2 million children who previously received the credit will no longer be eligible because neither claiming adult has an SSN.
- The Law Tafoya Pledged to Protect Raised the Child Care Credit Only for Families Who Owe Income Tax. The law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect raised the rates of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit from 2026 but kept the credit nonrefundable, so it can only reduce income tax a family owes. Only about 8.5 percent of families with children will receive a larger credit in 2026, the Tax Policy Center estimated, and the National Women's Law Center says families making less than $30,000 won't benefit at all.
What the Child Tax Credit Rules Michele Tafoya Backs Mean for Minnesota Children
- Children left short. Before the law, 17% of Minnesota children, about 202,000, were in families that earned too little for the full Child Tax Credit, by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy's estimate; the law raised the credit but kept the earnings rules, so the share of Minnesota children left short grew.
- Income needed for the full credit. Nationally, a married couple with two children needs at least $41,500 in income in 2025 to qualify for the full credit, up from $36,000 before the law, the Center on Poverty and Social Policy calculated, so Minnesota parents working full time at low wages fall short.
Frequently Asked Questions About Michele Tafoya on Child care and families
What is Michele Tafoya's record on child care and families under Trump?
Michele Tafoya pledges to protect the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a law that leaves many low-income Minnesota children short of the full Child Tax Credit. The law also took the credit away from children whose parents lack work-eligible Social Security numbers, and its larger child care credit helps only families who owe income tax.
How much income does a family need for the full Child Tax Credit under the law Michele Tafoya backs?
Under the law Michele Tafoya backs, a single parent with two children filing as head of household needs $33,700 in 2025 to qualify for the full credit, up from $28,500 before the law, the Center on Poverty and Social Policy calculated. Larger families need more: a married couple with three children needs $46,500.
Does the child care tax credit Michele Tafoya backs help low-income Minnesota parents?
Michele Tafoya pledges to protect a law that raised the child care credit's rates without making it refundable, so families making less than $30,000 won't benefit at all, according to the National Women's Law Center, and the Tax Policy Center found that nearly 80 percent of the more generous benefit will go to families in the middle and top of the income scale.
Last updated: 2026-10-25