The "Child Care is Essential Act" is Introduced In Congress Proposing 50 Billion for The Child Care Industry

Early today the Child Care is Essential Act was introduced in congress. You can read the full text of the act at this link: https://delauro.house.gov/sites/delauro.house.gov/files/Child_Care_Is_Essential_Act_Text.pdf

The press release summary of the act states the following:

“Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, introduced new legislation, the Child Care is Essential Act, to create a $50 billion Child Care Stabilization Fund within the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program. As businesses begin to re-open and working families need child care, many providers across the country remain shut down or are operating with significantly reduced capacity. Child care providers that are able to stay open are struggling to cover their increased operating costs with limited revenue, and many are at risk of permanent closure. Recent estimates from the National Women’s Law Center show that it would take at least $9.6 billion per month to keep current child care providers in business.”

Senator Murray from Washington State who has some experience working in child care in her background before her political career said the following about the act:

“We absolutely cannot overlook the critical role child care will play in our nation’s ability to recover from the current COVID-19 crisis. Right now, frontline workers are relying on access to child care in order to keep our communities safe, healthy and fed. Yet, our entire child care system is struggling to keep doors open for families. I have talked to child care providers across Washington state and each one of them has told me that their business just can’t survive this crisis without support”

Congresswomen Haley Stevens from Michigan said this about the act “Child care providers in Michigan and across the country are facing serious challenges, with many providers shut down or operating well under capacity for the duration of the pandemic,”

Congresswoman Finkenauer from Iowa stated “Accessible childcare is absolutely essential to our long-term economic recovery. The Child Care is Essential Act will provide resources to support that recovery and make needed investments to address the wider crisis of availability and affordability."

Hannah Matthews who is the deputy executive director for policy at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) proclaimed this regarding the act “The current public health and economic crisis is decimating the country's already-precarious child care system. Hundreds of thousands of child care programs are at risk of permanent closure if they do not receive financial support,” said Matthews. “The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is proud to support the Child Care is Essential Act—$50 billion in public funding that will sustain child care through the pandemic and lay the foundation for an economic recovery where parents can go back to work, children can return to nurturing settings that help them thrive, and millions of child care workers—disproportionately women of color—will not lose their livelihoods.”

Congresswomen DeLauro who is one of the cosponsors was quoted saying “The COVID-19 pandemic has our nation on the precipice of an economic catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen, and child care providers are facing financial ruin. To date, the Congress has provided much needed funding to deal with the crisis—passing a $3.5 billion infusion in the CARES Act and $7 billion in the House-passed Heroes Act—but now needs to do much more to meet the demands of this historic moment. That is why we must invest $50 billion to support our nation’s working families and this critical industry in our economy. I urge my colleagues in the Appropriations Committee and throughout the Congress to join us in this effort.”

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren promoted the act on her twitter which you can see below:

While there has been a lot of support from Democrats in congress for this act, it remains to be seen if Republicans in congress or president Trump will support the act. In addition, Joe Biden who will most likely be the Democrats nominee for president has not commented on the act yet.