U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) took to the Senate floor this week to spotlight the escalating child care crisis gripping American families and to rally support for her bipartisan legislation, the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act.
Joined by a coalition of senators and representatives from both parties, Britt’s proposal aims to ease the financial burden of child care through enhanced tax credits, a move she frames as both pro-family and pro-growth.
“The cost is crushing for so many parents. It’s also prohibitive,” Britt declared, underscoring how exorbitant child care expenses deter couples from expanding their families. “To my fellow Republicans, don’t we want to incentivize rather than deter parents from starting their families? How can we, as the party of life, families, parents, and workers, neglect to make that easier?” She argued that addressing child care is integral to fostering a “comprehensive culture of life,” a core GOP value.
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Britt highlighted the economic toll of the crisis, citing a staggering $122 billion annual loss to the U.S. economy due to child care challenges. “74% of mothers and 66% of fathers either have to leave work early, arrive late, or be absent because of last-minute changes in child care,” she said. “59% of part-time and non-working parents say they would go back to work, but they don’t have access to quality child care at a reasonable cost.” This, she warned, hampers both workers and the broader economy.
The Child Care Availability and Affordability Act, co-sponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Angus King (I-Maine), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine), alongside Representatives Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), modernizes existing tax credits to reflect today’s economic realities. “We are not creating or growing another entitlement,” Britt emphasized. “We are letting Americans keep more of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars in a manner that grows our economy and gives people an opportunity for their American Dream.”
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The bill promises targeted relief for families and small businesses, helping parents re-enter the workforce, supporting couples who want more children, and aiding employers in retaining talent. “This legislation is pro-family, it’s pro-Main Street, it’s pro-growth,” Britt said, pitching it as a win-win for households and job creators alike.
With Republicans now controlling both Congress and the White House, Britt urged her party to seize the moment. “We have an opportunity we can’t afford to waste,” she said. “If we truly are the party of parents, families, and hardworking Americans, we have an opportunity to prove it. Let’s address the child care crisis in this year’s tax package.”
Britt’s focus on family support is a hallmark of her first term. She has introduced the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) Act and co-sponsored the Childcare Worker Opportunity Act and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization Act of 2024, cementing her role as a leading voice for early childhood and parental issues in the Senate.
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