Senate Democrats will force vote to expand child tax credit despite GOP opposition

The Democratic-led Senate will hold a key test vote Thursday on a bipartisan bill to expand the child tax credit and provide some tax breaks for businesses.

But it’s not clear Democrats have enough Republican support to break a filibuster and advance the bill toward a final vote, as many GOP senators oppose it.

The vote on the bill, which would provide the most financial help to multi-child households, comes as Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the GOP vice presidential nominee, faces heated criticism over past remarks disparaging “childless cat ladies” and questioning the character of women who choose not to have kids. Vance is scheduled to visit the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Thursday and is expected to miss the vote. His office didn’t say how he'd vote if he were in Washington.

Democrats are casting the vote as a response to Vance, with Schumer saying Wednesday that most Republicans will vote against it even as they “say they care about families." It will be the last vote the Senate casts before it leaves Washington for the August recess until Sept. 9. The House passed the child tax credit bill in January.

There is substantial Senate GOP opposition to the bill, led by Mike Crapo of Idaho, the ranking member of the Finance Committee, who is aligned with party leadership. He told NBC News this week that the bill is inadequately funded and doesn’t have enough conditions on the child tax credit to win his vote.