WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The high cost of caring for children and the elderly has forced , devastated family finances and left professional caretakers in 鈥� all while slowing economic growth.
That families are suffering is not up for debate. As the economy emerges as a theme in this presidential election, the Democratic and Republican candidates have sketched out ideas for easing costs that reveal their divergent views about family.
On this topic, the two tickets have one main commonality: Both of the presidential candidates 鈥� and their running mates 鈥� have, at one point or another, backed an expanded child tax credit.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who last week, has signaled that she plans to build on , which sought to pour billions in taxpayer dollars into making child care and home care for elderly and disabled adults more affordable. She has not etched any of those plans into a formal policy platform. But in a speech earlier this month, she said her vision included .
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican, has declined to answer questions about how he would make child care more affordable, even though it was an issue he tackled during his own administration. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, has a that would encourage Americans to have families, floating ideas like giving parents votes for their children. Just this month, Vance said he wants to to $5,000. But Vance has opposed government spending on child care, arguing that many children benefit from having one parent at home as caretaker.
The candidates' care agendas could figure prominently into their appeal to suburban women in swing states, a coveted demographic seen as key to victory in November. Women provide two-thirds of unpaid care work 鈥� valued at $1 trillion annually 鈥� and are disproportionately impacted when families can鈥檛 find affordable care for their children or aging parents. And the cost of care is an urgent problem: .
Kamala Harris: Increase the child tax credit
When Harris addressed the Democratic National Convention, she talked first about her own experience with child care. She was raised mostly by a single mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who worked long hours as a breast cancer researcher. Among the people who formed her family's support network was 鈥淢rs. Shelton, who ran the day care below us and became a second mother.鈥�
As vice president, Harris worked behind the scenes in Congress on Biden's proposals to establish national paid family leave, make prekindergarten universal and invest billions in child care so families wouldn't pay . She announced, too, the administration's actions to lower copays for families using federal child care vouchers, and to raise wages for Medicaid-funded home health aides. Before that, her track record as a senator included pressing for greater labor rights for domestic workers, including nannies and home health aides who may be .
This month at a community college in North Carolina, Harris outlined her campaign's , which includes raising the child tax credit to as much as $3,600 and giving families of newborns even more 鈥� $6,000 for the child's first year.
鈥淭hat is a vital 鈥� vital year of critical development of a child, and the costs can really add up, especially for young parents who need to buy diapers and clothes and a car seat and so much else,鈥� she told the audience. Her running mate selection of Tim Walz, who established as governor of Minnesota, has also buoyed optimism among supporters.
Donald Trump: Few specifics, but some past support
For voters grappling with the high cost of child care, Trump has offered little in the way of solutions. During the June presidential debate, CNN moderator Jake Tapper twice asked Trump what he would do to lower child care costs. Both times, he failed to answer, instead pivoting to other topics. His is similarly silent. It does tackle the cost of long-term care for the elderly, writing that Republicans would 鈥渟upport unpaid Family Caregivers through Tax Credits and reduced red tape.鈥�
The silence marks a shift from his first campaign, when he pitched paid parental leave, though it was panned by critics because his proposal excluded fathers. When he reached the White House, the former president sought $1 billion for child care, plus a parental leave policy at the urging of his daughter and policy adviser, Ivanka Trump. Congress rejected both proposals, but Trump succeeded in doubling the child tax credit and establishing paid leave for federal employees.
In his , Trump said he was 鈥減roud to be the first president to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave, so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child.鈥�
This year, there are signs that his administration might not pursue the same agenda, including his selection of Vance as a running mate. In 2021, before he joined the Senate, Vance co-authored opposing 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 floated policies that would make it easier for a family to live off of a single income, making it possible for some parents to stay home while their partners work. Along with his embrace of policies he calls pro-family, he has tagged people who do not have or want children as 鈥渟ociopaths.鈥� He once derided Harris and other rising Democratic stars as 鈥渃hildless cat ladies,鈥� even though Harris has two stepchildren 鈥� they call her 鈥淢omala鈥� 鈥� and no cats.
Even without details about new care policies, Trump believes that families would ultimately get a better deal under his administration.
The Trump-Vance campaign has attacked Harris鈥� record on the economy and said the Biden administration鈥檚 policies have only made things tougher for families, pointing to recent .
鈥淗arris ... has proudly and repeatedly celebrated her role as Joe Biden鈥檚 co-pilot on Bidenomics,鈥� said Karoline Leavitt, a campaign spokeswoman. 鈥淭he basic necessities of food, gas and housing are less affordable, unemployment is rising, and Kamala doesn鈥檛 seem to care.鈥�
___
The Associated Press鈥� education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Moriah Balingit, The Associated Press
