Lawmakers ask Congress for $80B for child care as COVID funds are set to expire – MassLive
By Tréa Lavery
With relief funding for child care providers introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic set to expire at the end of the month, Democratic lawmakers in Congress are proposing major new funding for the sector.
The Childcare Stabilization Act, introduced Wednesday by U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, D-Washington, and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the Senate, and by U.S. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-5th District, in the House of Representatives, would bring $16 billion a year for the next five years in grants to child care programs cover costs.
Clark said that the country’s child care system has long had issues, but that those problems were brought to light during the pandemic.
“The reality is we have a long way to go to build a childcare system that works for working families. But this relief funding has proved what’s possible when we invest in childcare when we treat it for what it is: a public good,” she said. “Just like our roads and bridges, this is fundamental to the success of our entire economy.”