May 20, 2021

Mother Jones: Elizabeth Warren Wants Joe Biden to Go Bigger on Child Care

A new report from the Massachusetts senator argues for a bigger investment in what she argues is a key part of infrastructure.

When Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) ran for president, one of the first policies she unveiled to establish herself as the wonk candidate was a proposal for universal child care and pre-K. Warren delivered her speech for last summer’s virtual Democratic National Convention from a pandemic-shuttered daycare and used her five minutes of primetime to elevate child care as “the basic infrastructure of this nation.”

She’s kept up the refrain for child care as Democrats hasten to secure an economic legacy beyond the pandemic relief package the party passed earlier this year. On Thursday, Warren released a report calling for a $700 billion investment in child care and early education funding over 10 years to support working parents in a post-pandemic economy. While it’s not surprising to see Warren championing child care, the report is notable as a subtle rebuke of President Joe Biden for not devoting enough funds to child care in his infrastructure plans and offers a warning shot to lawmakers who might consider ditching child care as the party crafts its infrastructure agenda over the coming months.

“Child care is about parents having equal opportunity in the workplace,” Warren says. “That was true before the pandemic, but the pandemic just ripped back the cover that had hidden much of the child care problem from public view.”

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By:  Kara Voght
Source: Mother Jones