Washington, D.C. — Today, Congress passed a funding agreement that included $5.8 billion in federal child care assistance over the next two years. Katie Hamm, vice president for Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Child care costs are an enormous burden to families across the country, and this historic investment will mean that more parents have some assistance making child care payments so that they can work. Child care funds will provide a down payment on the Child Care for Working Families Act, which would ensure that all families have access to affordable, high-quality child care and that people who work in child care earn a fair wage. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) deserve enormous credit for ensuring that the calls of working families to prioritize child care were heard by doubling existing resources.