Sen. Britt Challenges Trump Plan to Force States to Fund Childcare
Alabama Republican U.S. Senator Katie Britt is one of the most ardent Donald Trump backers in Congress. However, as a mother of two, she has had moments where her concern for families has outweighed political pressures. Childcare is one of those issues.
Trump has issued memos and executive orders for federal departments and agencies to freeze federal funding for hundreds of programs that serve children and families. He urged states to fund benefits programs instead because "we have to take care of one thing: military protection."
In a memo to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought revealed by CBS News, Trump demanded the states raise their taxes to pay for childcare costs and that the federal government “could lower our taxes a little bit to them to make up” for it.
However, Senator Britt has been leading a rare bipartisan effort heavily focused on increasing federal childcare funding and expanding tax credits some $16 billion to improve affordability and accessibility for working families. She led bipartisan efforts, including the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act, which expands the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) and employer-provided childcare tax credits.
Working families can declare up to half of their childcare costs, depending on their income. Businesses are getting bigger subsidies allowing workers to set aside more pre-tax dollars.
Britt counter Trump, pointing out that American families spend up to 16% of the median income on childcare, per child. She told NBC News she has based her concern for families based on the things she has experienced in her on life. Britt frames the issue as an economic one, "The dependability of childcare directly impacts people who want to be in the workforce."
Alabama has some of the lowest accesses to daycare numbers in the nation forcing 20% of parents to miss work. That is the highest rate in the nation. That is costing Alabama roughly $3.9 billion to $5.9 billion per year in lost earnings and productivity.
The Tuscaloosa/Northport area is experiencing some of the same issues with daycare characterized by a severe shortage of available spots leading to long waiting lists.
Britt says the federal subsidies are critical the future of families and children.
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