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By Monica Sager
Live News Reporter
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Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new child care plan Tuesday that proposes that working families would not pay more than 7% of their income for child care.
This was the first time the Democratic nominee has spoken about the new initiative in her campaign. The 7% cap, however, was first proposed in President Joe Biden's Build Back Better package in 2021.
"It is sadly the state of affairs in our country that working people often have to decide to either be able to work or to be able to have child care," Harris said during an event with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Philadelphia. "It doesn't actually level out in terms of the expense versus the income."
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The rising cost of child care is a core issue for some American families already grappling with inflation and the cost of living.
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Harris said the investment into child care would allow people to pursue their dreams and "strengthen the entire economy."
She said it is currently "too expensive" for the "sandwich generation," who have to pay for child care while also taking care of their parents.
The Democratic nominee's plan also includes "doing better for our child care providers" and expanding the Child Tax Credit to $6,000 in the first year of the child's life have the resources to "buy a crib, buy a car seat, buy children's clothing and not have to worry about whether they can meet their other needs."
"When you talk about the benefits and if you think about the benefit to the economy overall, it strengthens our economy to do things like pay attention to affordable child care, affordable home health care and extending the Child Tax Credit," Harris said.
The National Women's Law Center Action Fund is calling the 7% cap "transformative."
"Vice President Harris understands the profound impact that the child care crisis has on women, families, early educators, and the broader economy," said Melissa Boteach, the vice president of child care and income security at the National Women's Law Center Action Fund. "Too often, women face the impossible choice between achieving their full economic potential and meeting child care responsibilities."
Former President Donald Trump was pressed on his plans to address child care costs during an appearance before the Economic Club of New York earlier this month, during which the Republican nominee promoted his fiscal policy as a solution to the rising prices of everyday necessities. When asked by Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani if he would "commit to prioritizing legislation to make child care affordable" if reelected to office, Trump told the panel of business leaders that his plans to increase taxes on imports could "take care" of rising costs like child care.
"Child care is child care, it's something you have to have in this country," Trump said, who also touted efforts by his daughter, Ivanka, to address child care costs during his first presidency.
"It's a very important issue," Trump continued. "But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I'm talking about ... child care is child care—you know, you have to have it in this country, you have to have it."
On Tuesday, the official War Room account of the 2024 Trump campaign, posted the following on X, formerly Twitter, in response to Harris' proposed plan: "KAMALA: It's absolutely too expensive for people to work and afford child care. My plan is about 7% of income for working people for childcare. Um... that's not a plan."
Also earlier this month, Ohio Senator JD Vance, Trump's running mate, was asked about his plans to address child care costs, during a discussion with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Vance suggested that one way to "relieve a little bit of pressure" on families is by making it easier for a family member to stay home with a child rather than having to pay for day care, telling Kirk: "Maybe Grandma or Grandpa wants to help out a little bit more, or maybe there's an aunt or uncle that wants to help out a little bit more. If that happens, you relieve some of the pressure on all the resources that we're spending on day care."
Follow Newsweek's live U.S. Election blog for updates.
Update: 9/17/24, 5:55 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with more information.
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