Walz and Vance both argue for child care issues, with some differences

In general, Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris have been more organized in crafting plans with some detail when it comes to policy proposals for caregivers. Vance and former President Donald Trump have not made similar proposals, although Vance spoke on the campaign trail about the need for better family-friendly policies.

Walz, who has two children, has vowed to strengthen the family-friendly policies he introduced as governor of Minnesota. Vance, who has three children, has called the left “anti-child” and said he would be a “family-friendly” leader.

Here’s how the candidates stand on four key issues.

Expanded child tax credit

Both sides have announced plans to permanently expand the child tax credit, which offers families up to $2,000 per child. An expansion during the pandemic that increased the credit to $3,600 per child in 2021 temporarily lifted millions of children out of poverty and reduced the child poverty rate to an all-time low. However, this progress was quickly reversed when the additional payments expired: child poverty more than doubled in 2022 and has continued to rise since then.

Harris and Walz have made a permanent expansion of the child tax credit a central part of their campaign and said they would offer an additional $6,000 credit to parents of newborns. As governor, Walz introduced a statewide tax credit that gives Minnesota families up to $1,750 per child – the largest federal tax credit in the country.

Trump and Vance have also made similar promises. Last month, Vance said he would “very much like” to see a federal tax credit of $5,000 per child, regardless of the family’s income, but noted that it would be up to Congress to “look at how possible and feasible.” that is”.

However, just a few days earlier, Vance had failed to appear at the vote on expanding the child tax credit. The bill, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this year, was ultimately blocked by Republicans in the Senate.

Paid family leave

Less than a third of Americans in the private sector have access to paid family leave, and rates are even lower for low-wage workers.

Paid family leave was a key part of Trump’s primary campaign in 2016, making him the first Republican candidate to champion such a policy. In 2019, as president, he granted federal employees 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

“After decades of empty promises and inaction… this ensures that parents are not forced to choose between their jobs and the precious time they spend with their children,” he wrote at the time. This time, however, he and Vance were less vocal about the topic of family vacations.

Walz, meanwhile, said paid family and medical leave would be the first step if he and Harris win — although they have not yet suggested how long that should be. As governor, he signed a new measure giving Minnesotans up to 20 weeks of paid leave that they can use to care for a family member or a new child or while recovering from their own illness. The law will take effect in 2026, although Walz has also spoken about the importance of enacting similar policies at the national level.

“We’re basically the last nation on earth that doesn’t do this,” he said in a podcast in August. “It’s so fundamental to basic decency and financial well-being. And I think that would change both finances and attitudes – strengthening the family.”

Rising childcare costs

Child care costs are rising faster than inflation, leaving millions of families struggling financially.

The Biden administration has poured billions of dollars into temporarily increasing subsidies for child care providers and subsidizing care for families. Those measures have expired, but Harris and Walz have vowed to build on those efforts and limit child care costs to 7 percent of family income.

As a politician, Walz has long prioritized similar issues. This year, he announced $6.2 million in additional grants to expand child care availability and reduce costs in Minnesota. “Accessible, high-quality child care is critical not only to good child development, but also to the economic well-being of families in our state,” he said in May.

Vance has also addressed the issue of rising care costs, but took a different approach, encouraging parents and other families to stay home with their children.

“Maybe grandma or grandpa wants to help a little more, or maybe there’s an aunt or uncle who wants to help a little more,” he said in Arizona this month. “When that happens, you reduce the pressure on all the resources we spend on child care.”

Last year, Vance introduced the Fairness for Stay-at-Home Parents Act, which would eliminate health insurance penalties for parents who quit their jobs to stay home with their newborns. As it currently stands, employers can require employees to pay back their health insurance premiums if they do not return to work after taking leave for family and medical reasons.

“Our laws should not penalize new parents who choose to stay home and care for their newborns,” Vance said. “We should celebrate and support young families, not punish them. This legislation would provide significant financial relief to working families across America and move Washington in a more family-friendly direction.”

Wages for nursing staff

Daycare centers, preschools and other child care facilities suffered a major blow during the pandemic when many were forced to suddenly close. They have barely recovered since then, in large part because many workers have moved on to higher-paying jobs. Child care workers had a median wage of $14.60 an hour last year, or $30,370 a year, making them among the lowest paid workers in the country. These low wages have led to child care workforce shortages across the country.

Vance has called for eliminating certifications and other requirements that he says have become a financial burden on workers. He said rolling back such policies would help reduce costs for parents who “pay out the wazoo for day care.”

“We have a lot of people who love kids, who would love to take care of kids” but can’t because of “ridiculous certification rules,” he said this month. “Empower people to acquire the skills they need…[without] a whole lot of debt.”

Meanwhile, Walz, a former high school teacher, has long been a proponent of raising wages for child care workers. As governor, he created a $316 million program to increase wages and benefits for child care workers.

“The economy doesn’t function without child care providers,” Walz said last year. “We are increasing the wages and benefits these providers receive to grow the workforce and reflect the important work they do every day.”