95 House Democrats urge the Senate to pass Build Back Better before Biden's monthly child tax credit runs out

• Ninety-five House Democrats are urging the Senate to pass Biden's spending bill by December's end.
• They're warning that families "can't afford to lose" the monthly child tax credit.

Ninety-five House Democrats are urging the Senate to approve President Joe Biden's social spending bill before the end of the month. They say action is necessary to prevent a lapse in monthly child-tax-credit payments.

"Our members stood united in passing the Build Back Better Act last month and now it is time for the Senate to act before the expanded Child Tax Credit payments expire at the end of December," Rep. Suzan DelBene, the chair of the moderate-leaning New Democrat Coalition, said in a statement.

She went on, "American families cannot afford to lose this critical middle-class tax cut, which has cut child poverty in half and helped millions of families afford childcare, pay their bills, and put food on the table."

The remarks came as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York issued a statement on Monday doubling down on approving the $2 trillion Build Back Better legislation by Christmas. The measure would establish universal pre-K for young children, renew the bulked-up child tax credit for another year, and combat the climate emergency.

All 50 Senate Democrats must coalesce around the package so it can clear the 50-50 chamber over unanimous GOP opposition. Schumer said the Senate parliamentarian was still working to ensure that all parts of the bill had an effect on the federal budget so that it complied with the party-line reconciliation process. Otherwise, some provisions could still be stripped.

But the swift timeline for passage is threatened by at least one key swing vote: Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. He has declined to throw his backing behind the House-approved bill, including the one-year expansion of the child tax credit. Last week, he told Insider it was still "a work in progress."

Other Senate Democrats are starting to raise concerns about a potential lapse. "I think it's extraordinarily important to keep this program on track," Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the chair of the Finance Committee, recently told reporters.

Millions of families rely on the benefit to cover expenses, such as the cost of rent, groceries, childcare, and school supplies. The Internal Revenue Service is scheduled to distribute the final monthly payments on December 15, and families are set to receive the other half at tax time.

Other disagreements threaten to capsize the rapid timetable. Senate negotiations on tax cuts for high-earning Americans are faltering. In addition, Manchin remains opposed to a provision authorizing four weeks of paid medical and family leave within the House bill.

Lawmakers are also struggling to clear a must-pass defense spending bill. Congress also has nine days to raise the debt limit, or the US might have trouble paying its financial obligations.