Five months ago, I was on stage at the Economic Club of New York for a Q&A with then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump. There were only four questions allowed, and I knew I had to make mine count. So I asked about the economic issue that comes up most in my work and in my personal life: the cost of child care.
Specifically, “If you win in November, can you commit to legislation making child care affordable? And, if so, what specific piece of legislation will you advance?”
It’s not exactly what the room—New York business elite, suits as far as the eye could see—was expecting to hear. But maybe they should have been. The rising cost of child care isn’t just some fringe social issue; it’s an economic issue, plain and simple. And right now, millions of parents across America are in crisis. Much ink has been spilled over the skyrocketing price of eggs, but it’s not just the grocery bill that’s stretching family budgets thin. It’s child care—so much so that a staggering 55% of parents in the United States have fallen into debt taking care of their families.
President Trump got the message—from voters and, apparently, from his own daughter. At a town hall a few weeks after the Economic Club event, Trump shared Ivanka’s support of child tax credits, acknowledged that the current costs are “not fair,” and vowed to “readjust” taxes to change that. And on the debate stage, Trump’s then-running mate, now-Vice President J.D. Vance made child care costs a centerpiece of his performance.
President Trump and Vice President Vance campaigned on these promises (among others), and won. The majority of American voters sent them to Washington to address rising costs. Well, now is the moment for President Trump’s child care promises to be seen through: make good on your word, and deliver for the working families you’ve pledged to serve.
As the founder of Moms First, a movement born out of the pandemic to advocate for the support moms need, I hear from parents constantly about the untenable costs of care. The single mom who works three jobs and still struggles to make ends meet at a time when the cost of living is so high. The working parents with no family or friends nearby who take out a second mortgage—going further into debt like so many parents—just to pay for the soaring cost of child care. The stay-at-home mom who yearns to go back to work, but can’t afford to pay for child care.
No matter how you feel about the party in power, or how frustrated you feel with politics in general, stories like these remind us that millions of us are united around at least one ideal: America must take better care of working families. Right now, there are some real opportunities to go beyond merely talking about the child care crisis—and, instead, make actual investments towards a more affordable care system.
The first chance is a major tax policy bill, which Congress could, and should, use to increase tax cuts for child care. It’s not rocket science: Families are struggling to pay for child care? Let’s put cash back in their pockets to help them cover it.
But just four days into the new administration, leaders on the House Budget Committee responsible for the tax bill circulated a list of programs to potentially cut. On that chopping block—you guessed it—the only tax cut for child care: the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC).
You’re probably asking, WTF is the CDCTC? Let’s get a few facts straight: the CDCTC is the only tax policy designed to help families offset the cost of child care. If you have a child 13 or under, and you claim them as a dependent, you can typically reduce your federal income tax liability by up to $600. If you have two or more kids in that age group, you can reduce it by up to $1,200.
It’s certainly not a perfect fix. CDCTC benefit levels haven’t been updated since 2001, with no regard to inflation or the rising costs of care. And saving $600-$1,200 per year sounds great—until you consider that annual child care costs have soared to more than $11,000.
In its current form, the CDCTC is woefully insufficient. But at the same time, it’s a critical lifeline for parents. That’s precisely why Congress needs to reform and expand the CDCTC—not roll it back.
Gutting that tax credit stands in stark opposition to what the Trump-Vance administration promised on the campaign trail—not to mention it’s wildly out of touch with what working families want and need. According to new research conducted by Moms First and Echelon Insights, 79% of voters across party lines support increasing child care tax credits for parents. And it’s not just a “nice-to-have” on their list—84% of all voters think Congress should do something to make child care more affordable.
As a working mom of two kids under five recently told me in a focus group: “Cost has always been a barrier for me”…what if “we could get Congress to the level the cost”?
I told that mom: We can, and we will.
Last week, Moms First launched a national campaign urging President Trump to save tax cuts for child care within his first hundred days in office. We’re shouting it from the literal rooftops, on billboards in New York, San Diego, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, or Philadelphia— six major cities with some of the nation’s highest child care costs. Look for us in the bright green—and take a closer look at how the costs of food, gas, and rent stack up against the cost of child care. For the parents of young kids, it’ll come as no surprise: child care outstrips the cost of rent, gas, and groceries in all 50 states.
We’re going everywhere—and galvanizing support along the way—so that President Trump, Congress, and other leaders can’t miss us. If you want to join us, sign our letter to President Trump asking him to not just save, but expand, the tax cut for child care. Then tell your friends, talk to your community, and bring more allies on board, too. If we can get this done together, we could help millions of families each save thousands of dollars on child care.
If there’s anything I know about us moms, it’s that when we care about something, we do something about it. We roll up our sleeves, we get organized, and we make it happen. So we’re no longer merely asking whether our leaders will commit to making child care affordable. We’re telling them, loud and clear, in six-foot tall lettering: Families need a tax cut for child care.
And we’re going to make sure the White House hears us.
The post Trump Said He’d Make Child Care More Affordable. Moms Are Holding Him to it appeared first on Glamour.
