Neal Demands Trump Administration Reverse Harmful Child Care Policies

WASHINGTON, DC—Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) in a new letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is demanding the Trump Administration reverse their harmful actions that have left families with higher costs, lower wages, and more parents choosing between their child and a paycheck.

“This month HHS has taken a range of actions to make it harder for parents to find safe, affordable child care so that they can work, puzzlingly characterized as a ‘Mother’s Day gift.’ Ranking Member Neal wrote. “The new policies will reduce wages for Head Start teachers and child care workers, make each worker responsible for meeting the needs of more babies and toddlers, increase child care copayments for parents, divert funding Congress provided to reduce the cost of child care to fund homeschooling payments, and force safe, loving child care providers out of business.”

Since retaking office last year, President Trump has waged a relentless, politically motivated campaign against child care. By arbitrarily freezing funding, encouraging baseless harassment of providers and families, and skyrocketing the cost to put food on the table, the Trump Administration has made child care more dangerous and expensive. 

This is on top of Republican policies which have already skyrocketed the cost of gas, pushed prices up faster than wages can keep pace, and kicked 15 million Americans off their health insurance. This month, the Administration launched another sham website in an effort to give the appearance of supporting families, yet is riddled again with misinformation that doesn’t deliver relief and ignores the harm the President’s policies have caused.

Read the full letter to Secretary Kennedy HERE.

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