Democrats Are Trying To Salvage Their Party's Child Care Initiative

LOADING ERROR LOADING Sen. Patty Murray spent the past year leading calls to create a comprehensive American child care program as part of the “Build Back Better” legislation that President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders were putting together. “I have spoken to so many moms and parents who had to quit their jobs entirely because they either couldn’t afford child care or they couldn’t find it, and to child care workers who are being paid poverty wages and can’t make ends meet ― it’s clear, this is an urgent crisis and it’s putting a huge strain on our entire economy.” An Attempt To Do Something, Even If It’s Not Everything Under the proposal that Murray and Kaine released late Monday afternoon, and that Politico first reported about a week ago, the federal government would plow between $150 billion and $200 billion into child care over the course of the 10-year budget planning window. Under that pilot program, states could get money to finance the kind of program that Murray and her allies had originally envisioned for the entire country ― one in which states would provide enough assistance to cap child care expenses at 7% of household income, while raising quality standards and worker pay. “This revamped child care proposal was designed to get every Senator on board,” the aide said, adding that “it is streamlined and fully paid for within a revamped reconciliation package, it has been updated to address concerns in the caucus, it covers as long a timeframe as possible given the constraints of the, and most importantly: it addresses the truly urgent child care crisis, which will only get worse if we don’t act now.” Kaine’s presence could also make a difference, since he represents constituents who think a lot like Manchin’s and who, in some cases, live right across the state line.