Congress works to tackle ‘childcare crisis’

WASHINGTON — Congress is taking on a concern of many parents – they want to make sure America’s families have childcare.

Senators on Capitol Hill said we have a “childcare crisis” in this country.

“You want to have a kid in America and you’re working class, well we’re going to make you pay for that, boy,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) Vermont said. “You’re going to go deeply in debt. Thank you for having a child. Not exactly what I think we should be doing as a nation.”

The issue prompted hours of debate during a committee hearing.

Senators say parents can mostly agree on these things: Childcare is expensive; it’s hard to find a spot at daycares; childcare workers don’t get paid enough; if wages are increased, parents won’t be able to afford it.

Funding that helped this situation during the pandemic is set to expire in September. Some are pushing for Congress to renew the money.

Data from the committee shows more than 9.5 million children across the country would be impacted if lawmakers don’t act.

Some Republicans though question providing the funding, how the money is spent and the federal government’s involvement.

“It’s become more expensive as we’ve pumped more federal dollars into it,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R) Louisiana said. “We want affordable childcare. We don’t want more bureaucracy and government spending that is wasted.”

Many advocates and parents believe there must be a balance.

“Parents and providers feel like they’re failing, but it’s the market that’s failing them,” Lauren Hogan of the Association for the Education of Young Children explained. “Correcting underlying imbalances requires government intervention, not to restrict individual choices, but to enhance them.”

Details on how all these pandemic funds were spent likely will not be available until 2025 or 2026, according to the Government Accountability Office.

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