Childcare: What Kamala Harris and Donald Trump say about tax credits

WASHINGTON (AP) — The high costs of caring for children and the elderly have Women from employmentruined the family finances and left behind professional caregivers Low-paying jobs – all this while economic growth is slowing.

That families are suffering is not up for debate. With the economy increasingly front and center in this presidential election, the Democratic and Republican candidates have outlined cost-cutting proposals that reveal their differing views on the family.

On this point, the two candidate lists have one thing in common: Both presidential candidates – and their running mates – have at some point spoken out in favor of expanding the child tax credit.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party indicated last week that she plans to the ambitions of the government of outgoing President Joe Bidenthat wanted to pour billions of taxpayer dollars into more affordable child care and home care for older and disabled adults. She has not worked any of these plans into a formal policy program. But in a speech earlier this month, she said her vision included Increase in the child allowance.

Former Republican President Donald Trump has declined to answer questions about how he would make child care more affordable, despite addressing the issue during his own term in office. His running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, has long history of advancing policy measures that would encourage Americans to start families and brings into play ideas such as giving parents the right to vote for their children. Just this month, Vance said he wanted increase the child allowance up to $5,000. However, Vance is against government spending on child care, arguing that many children benefit from having one parent at home to care for them.

Candidates' care programs could play a major role in how attractive they are to suburban women in swing states, a coveted demographic seen as key to victory in November. Women perform two-thirds of unpaid care work – worth $1 trillion annually – and are disproportionately affected when families can't find affordable care for their children or aging parents. And the cost of care is a pressing issue: Childcare costs are rising faster than inflation.

Kamala Harris: Increase child tax allowance

When Harris spoke at the Democratic National Convention, she began by talking about her own experience with child care. She was raised largely by a single mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who worked long hours as a breast cancer researcher. Among the people who made up her family's support network was “Mrs. Shelton, who ran the daycare below us and became a second mother to us.”

As vice president, Harris worked behind the scenes in Congress on Biden's proposals to create national paid family leave, universalize preschool and invest billions in child care so families don't have to pay. more than 7% of their income. She also announced government action to reduce co-payments for families using federal child care vouchers and to increase wages for Medicaid-funded home care workers. Previously, as a senator, she had advocated for more labor rights for domestic workers, including nannies and home care workers, who may vulnerable to exploitation.

This month, at a community college in North Carolina, Harris outlined the Economic Agendawhich includes increasing the child tax credit to up to $3,600 and giving families with newborns even more – $6,000 for the child's first year.

“This is a vital – vital year of critical development for a child, and the costs can really add up, especially for young parents who have to buy diapers and clothes and a car seat and so much else,” she told the audience. Her vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, who paid vacation and a child allowance as governor of Minnesota has also boosted optimism among his supporters.

Donald Trump: Few details, but some support from the past

For voters struggling with the high cost of child care, Trump has offered few solutions. During the presidential debate in June, CNN moderator Jake Tapper asked Trump twice what he would do to reduce the cost of child care. Both times, he did not answer, instead pivoting to other issues. His Campaign platform is equally silent. However, it does address the cost of long-term care for the elderly, writing that Republicans would “support unpaid family caregivers through tax breaks and less red tape.”

The silence marks a reversal from his first campaign, when he promoted paid parental leave, even though it was panned by critics because his proposal excluded fathers. When he entered the White House, the former president, at the urging of his daughter and political adviser Ivanka Trump, called for $1 billion for child care and a parental leave policy. Congress rejected both proposals, but Trump managed to double the child tax credit and introduce paid leave for federal employees.

In his State of the Union Address 2019Trump said he was “proud to be the first president to include in his budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave so that all new parents have the chance to bond with their newborn child.”

This year, there are signs that his administration may not be pursuing the same agenda, including the selection of Vance as its vice presidential candidate. In 2021, before entering the Senate, Vance co-authored a commentary for the Wall Street Journal He rejected a proposal to invest billions in child care to make it more affordable for families. He and his co-author said expanding child care subsidies would lead to “unhappier, unhealthier children” and that having fewer mothers contributing to the economy might be a worthwhile trade-off.

Vance has proposed measures that would make it easier for families to live on a single income and that would allow some parents to stay home while their partners work. In addition to supporting measures he describes as family-friendly, he calls people who don't have or want children “sociopaths.” He once derided Harris and other rising Democratic stars as “childless cat ladies,” even though Harris has two stepchildren – they call her “Momala” – and no cats.

Even without details on new care policies, Trump is convinced that families will ultimately be better off under his administration.

The Trump-Vance campaign team has attacked Harris' record on the economy, claiming that the Biden administration's policies have only made things more difficult for families, citing recent inflation.

“Harris … has proudly and repeatedly celebrated her role as Joe Biden's co-pilot in the Bidenomics movement,” said Karoline Leavitt, a campaign spokeswoman. “Basic needs like food, gas and housing are less affordable, unemployment is rising, and Kamala doesn't seem to care.”

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