As part of his ongoing efforts to cement his image as a family-friendly advocate (but not in a “weird” way), Vance floated a generous $5,000 child tax credit in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“I would like to see a child tax credit of $5,000 per child. But of course you have to work with Congress to see how possible and feasible that is,” Vance told moderator Margaret Brennan.

Vance is working to position Republicans as the party that would do more to help families. And as most voters continue to view the economy as their top issue heading into the general election, the child tax credit remains a top issue for many lawmakers in Washington.

The current child tax credit is up to $2,000 per child.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Congress increased that amount to an annual credit of $3,000 to $3,600, depending on the child’s age, but Republicans allowed that provision to expire at the end of 2021.

There is bipartisan support in the House for an extension of the credit limit, but the Senate – with its narrow 51-seat Democratic majority and the need for 60 votes to end a filibuster – has stalled any meaningful progress on the issue.

In early August, the Senate voted 48-44 to pass the child tax increase measure, meaning it would not advance. Vance missed that vote.

In his television appearance on CBS, the man from Ohio described the bill proposed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as a “show vote” and said that despite his presence, the bill simply did not find enough support to be passed.

The president’s absence is likely to intensify Democrats’ efforts to play up the issue ahead of the election as the party seeks to hold on to the White House and the Senate and capture control of the House of Representatives.