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The typical American family spends 15 percent of its income on child care — and President Donald Trump will do little to change this “affordability crisis,” according to a new report by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. “Unfortunately, too many families currently cannot afford high-quality child care, and the Trump administration’s policies will not help these families,” the authors write.
If you’ve long felt that you’re paying a lot for child care in Colorado, congrats! The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee has validated that feeling with a new report. Colorado is third among the top 10 states with the highest average annual costs of infant care at an average of $14,950, topped only by the District of Columbia at $22,658 and Massachusetts at $17,082.
Yet the effects of high-quality, affordable child care are vastly beneficial, and a report released exclusively to Glamour on Thursday by the Democratic staff of the Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), titled "The State of Child Care in America," proves it. Aside from increasing both employment and education opportunities for mothers, access to top-caliber child care correlates with an increase in earnings for a woman throughout her career. This is particularly true for low-income mothers who stand to earn an additional $90,000 over the course of their careers if they have access to child care.
A report from the Democratic staff of the Congress Joint Economic Committee that was released solely to Glamour on Thursday, entitled "The State of Child Care in America," proves that much to be true. The report showed that, as mentioned, single working mothers spend upwards of 25 percent of their income on child care, with costs sometimes totaling 50 percent of a woman's entire paycheck. And while the White House likes to claim that Trump's tax plan will provide some much-needed relief for families, in the form of a child care tax credit, it simply isn't enough.
As a parent of two children, I know firsthand that families in New Mexico and across the U.S. need access to affordable, high-quality child care. Child care is critically important to millions of families, regardless of income level, and they deserve to know their children are in a safe environment while they go to work or earn a degree.
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its jobs report on hiring in April, showing over 16 million private sector jobs were created during the past 86 months. These numbers continue to indicate the success of a growing economy inherited by President Trump. Instead of building off of this growth handed to him by his predecessor, we have yet to see any clear plan on creating jobs and raising wages from the President or Congressional Republicans.
But Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Joint Economic Committee, said Friday’s figures “continue to indicate the success of a growing economy inherited by President Trump.” “Instead of building off of this growth handed to him by his predecessor, we have yet to see any clear plan on creating jobs and raising wages from the president or congressional Republicans," Heinrich said.
I am extremely disappointed that House Republicans voted to pass TrumpCare, a bill that would be a disaster for millions of hard-working American families who will be left without coverage and others paying more for less care. TrumpCare will take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions and offer as a replacement underfunded high-risk pools – where they will likely receive limited coverage and face higher costs.