Washington, D.C. — Today, President Joe Biden signed the most sweeping set of executive actions to improve care work in U.S. history. Following the signing ceremony, Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
From child care workers to home health aides to family caregivers, care workers allow parents to work, disabled people to live independently, and aging Americans to remain in the comfort of their own communities. But despite the essential role they play in society and the economy, care workers have long been taken for granted. Care workers, who are overwhelmingly women and disproportionately women of color, receive substandard pay and little respect.
President Biden’s executive actions are an important step toward reflecting the value of care workers for communities across the country and will help expand access to high-quality child care, reduce costs for struggling families, and partner with apprenticeship programs, unions, and employers to help care workers advance their careers, while also protecting the rights of both caregivers and people receiving care. Biden’s actions today will be a leap toward dignity for all.
For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at jcusick@americanprogress.