Sept. 15 (UPI) — Vice President Kamala Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday called for Congress to pass childcare provisions included in the administration’s $3.5 trillion spending plan.
Speaking at the Treasury Department, Harris cited a report by the Office of Economic Policy stating that the current U.S. childcare system overburdens families and struggles with insufficient supply that causes shortages throughout the country.
“Childcare is what makes it possible for millions of Americans to work,” Harris said in remarks. “And yet, this report confirms what millions of American families know and experience every day: Childcare remains too expensive and out of reach for far too many working families in our country.”
The Treasury Department report states that the average family with at least one child younger than 5 would need to spend 13% of its income on childcare.
Further, childcare providers struggle with high turnover, as their workers, including many women of color, earn low wages and are forced to rely on public services themselves.
As a result, more than half of Americans — especially low-income and rural families — live in so-called childcare deserts without childcare providers nearby.
“The free market works well in many different sectors, but childcare is not one of them. It does not work for the caregivers. It does not work for the parents. It does not work for the kids. And because it does not work for them, it does not work for the country,” Yellen said.
The Biden administration’s plan seeks to include universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, expanding tax credits for childcare and providing access to high-quality childcare for low- and middle-income children.
“By expanding childcare options and lowering childcare costs, we will give working people everywhere the support they need to dream, to do, and to determine their own future,” Harris said.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.