Statement
Moms Group Responds to Donald Trump’s Childcare Plan
August 9, 2016
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
Statement from Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO and executive director of MomsRising.org on Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s proposed plan to address childcare costs in the United States
“Childcare now costs more than college in most states in our nation. It’s a true emergency. Parents need safe, enriching places for their children to be so they can work; and children need safe, enriching early education so they can thrive. While we are encouraged that both Presidential candidates are tackling the issue of affordable childcare, Donald Trump’s new proposed childcare tax deduction plan falls far short of a solution: It’s great for the wealthy, but it doesn’t fix the childcare crisis for the majority of parents in America.
Trump’s proposal would not only force families to pay out up front childcare costs beyond their budgets, it also appears that this type of tax deduction wouldn't even be available for most low- and moderate income families—either because they are part of the majority of people who don’t itemize their taxes when they file them(which is a necessity for this type of tax deduction), or because they don’t meet the overall tax threshold.
This means that tens of millions of working families—the families for whom investments in childcare bring the most critical returns to our economy—would be left out. However, Trump’s plan would save a family of millionaires, those in the top tax bracket, 33% of childcare costs. Mr. Trump's proposal is a missed opportunity to build upon the current tax structure that could help tens of millions of families better afford high-quality child care for our littlest learners. But rather than making the tax credit refundable, Mr. Trump created a situation where the benefits are out of reach for most middle and low-income families.
By way of comparison, Hillary Clinton’s plan, released several months ago, has a specific focus on opening doors for middle- and low-income children to thrive by capping childcare expenses for families by a percentage of their income through tax credits and subsidized child care; as well as boosting pay for child-care workers and other improvements in quality of care.
Solutions are possible, but there isn’t one “silver bullet” answer as Trump proposed. The childcare crisis needs comprehensive national policy advancements on multiple fronts including around increased access, quality of early education and care,affordability, as well as fair treatment, pay, and professional development opportunities for childcare workers.
Studies show that excellent childcare policy—which involves improving the quality of early education and care, affordability, and access—brings an 8:1 return on investment because of fewer later grade repetitions, less future involvement in the criminal justices system, and lower later need for government support. Trump's regressive childcare proposal doesn’t meet the standard to bring the return on investment we all need for our children and economy to thrive.
With most families struggling to make ends meet, we need a solution that makes high-quality child care affordable for all American families, not misguided and regressive plans that continue to leave working families behind.”