ICYMI: Vice President Harris Announces Transformative Steps to Lower Child Care Costs for Working Families and Support Child Care Providers Across America

As a key piece of "Bidenomics," today's announcement means that roughly 80,000 qualifying families would see their child care copayments capped at 7% of their income and nearly 200,000 providers would start being paid on-time instead of retroactively

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is taking transformative steps to lower child care costs for working families and support child care providers in communities across America. Responding to President Biden's historic Executive Order on care, the new actions strengthen the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, which supports 1.5 million children and their families.

"I strongly believe that when we lift up the economic status of families, we lift up the economic status of communities," said Vice President Harris. "Our entire economy and our entire nation benefits as a result."

The Vice President unveiled a proposed rule that would cap child care copayments for qualifying families at 7% of income, encourage states to waive copayments altogether for families at or below 150% of the federal poverty level (for example, a family of four making at or below $45,000), and make it easier for families to access the CCDBG program by encouraging states to accept online applications and making siblings of children who are enrolled presumptively eligible. It would also improve financial stability for child care providers by ensuring they are paid on-time instead of retroactively.

The announcement builds upon a core pillar of the "Bidenomics" agenda by lowering child care costs and improving the financial stability of providers so more parents can find care.

Read more about today's announcement below:

Associated Press: Biden administration plans to cap how much families pay for child care through a government program
[Staff, 7/11/23]

Harris went through the details of a proposed rule by the Department of Health and Human Services that follows an executive order on the issue that President Joe Biden signed in April. Families would pay no more than 7% of their income for child care through the program and child care providers would find it easier to be paid on time. The proposal also wants to encourage states to let families apply online for care. […]

Harris touted the possible savings for families. "Let's take a family in Montana making $46,000 a year—they could save about $80 every month, or almost over $1,000 a year," the vice president said. "That money could go to gas and groceries or to fix a leaky roof." […]

NBC: White House details plan to lower childcare costs for low-income families (nbcnews.com)
[Megan Lebowitz, 7/11/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris detailed the announcement in a call with reporters, emphasizing that child care is a "critical issue" for many families. […]

"I strongly believe that when we lift up the status and the economic status of families, we lift up the economic status of communities," Harris said. "Our entire economy and our entire nation benefits as a result." […]

[…] Harris said parents should be able to apply for help online. She emphasized that families should not have to choose between providing high-quality care for their children and giving up their job or putting food on the table.

POLITICO: Harris to announce moves to lower some child care costs
[Olivia Olander, 7/11/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris will kick off efforts to lower child care costs, in part by capping copayments for some families and streamlining assistance […]

Harris plans to announce a Health and Human Services Department notice of proposed rulemaking to boost the Child Care and Development Block Grant program, which provides assistance to lower-income families […]

The Hill: Harris announces steps to cap, waive child care costs for thousands | The Hill
[Alex Gangitano, 7/11/2023]

Vice President Harris Tuesday announced new steps that would cap child care copayments for families enrolled in a federal program at no more than 7 percent of a family's income and encourage states to waive copayments for families at the poverty level. […]

Harris's announcement aims to strengthen the Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, which supports 1.5 million children and their families monthly, by incentivizing participation in the program. […]

Reuters: Harris unveils proposed rule change to lower US child care costs
[Andrea Shalal, 7/11/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday announced new steps to lower the cost of child care for American families with a proposal that would cap copayments under a block grant program that serves 1.5 million children and their families each month. […]

CNN: Biden administration to beef up child care subsidies as pandemic funding nears end | CNN Politics
[Tami Luhby, 7/11/23]

Low-income families often spend one-third of their yearly income on child care, more than on rent or their mortgage, Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on a press call. […]

"No family should have to choose between high-quality care for their child or to give up their career or put food on the table." […]

The 19th: Kamala Harris announces plans to lower child care costs for low-income families (19thnews.org)
[Chabeli Carrazana, 7/11/23]

"I strongly believe that when we lift up the status and the economic status of families, we lift up the economic status of communities, our entire economy, and our entire nation benefits as a result," Vice President Kamala Harris said on a press call announcing the initiative. […]

"This fight is personal for me," Harris said at the announcement, recounting the story of her child care provider, Regina Shelton, who cared for her and her sister while Harris' mother worked on breast cancer research. "She became a second mother to my sister and me. My mother often said that if not for Mrs. Shelton, she would never have been able to do the work that she did," Harris said. "Those are the stakes of this work: bringing child care to all families who need it. And that is why we must make sure all families can access the life-changing benefits of child care." […]

Spectrum News: Biden admin. looks to cap child care copays (spectrumlocalnews.com)
[Ryan Chatelain, 7/11/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris announced the proposal by the Department of Health and Human Services would limit copays to 7% of a family's income, which the department considers the high-water mark for what is considered affordable […]

The vice president said child care is a personal issue for her. Growing up, a woman, Regina Shelton, who lived two doors down, ran a child care center and became a "second mother" to Harris and her sister while allowing her mother, a breast cancer researcher, to work […]

The Messenger: Kamala Harris Announces Proposal to Cut Child Care Costs for Families - The Messenger
[Nicole Gaudiano, 7/11/23]

Vice President Kamala Harris announced a proposal on Tuesday to lower child care costs for low-income families and support providers participating in the Child Care and Development Fund program. […]

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)

This move by the Biden Admin is going to lower child care costs for families, put money back in parents' pockets, and give them a little extra breathing room. This is a great step—but make no mistake: to fix the child care crisis, Congress must act.

House Democratic Whip Katherine Clarke (D-MA)

"President Biden and Vice President Harris understand that child care is economic infrastructure. It allows parents to get to work and businesses to thrive. With this announcement, the Administration is advancing Democrats' work to grow the economy by growing the middle class: lowering costs for families and supporting the vital care workers who enable all other work. […]

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)

Child care should be affordable and accessible so that parents and children across the United States can thrive. @POTUS and @VP Harris know this better than anyone and they are boldly taking action to lower child care costs and support child care providers. […]

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA)

This is a HUGE announcement from the Vice President. Capping the cost of child care will put money back in the pockets of families all while supporting providers AND boosting the economy. This is only the beginning, the Dads Caucus and I are fighting for affordable, accessible child care. […]