Washington, D.C. — Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at CAP Action, issued the following statement today on child care and maternity leave proposals released by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump:
Trump is trying to put a new coat of paint on his child care proposal, but it remains a highly regressive plan that prioritizes wealthy people like him. In response to criticism, he added a cap on his child care tax deduction at $500,000 of income—but then gutted the cap by creating a new tax shelter that would allow people at any income to put an unlimited amount of money away, tax free, for nannies and private schools. And the base proposal still provides more support for high-income families than middle- and low-income families who struggle to make ends meet.
Trump’s paltry paid leave plan does not begin to address the challenges working families face. There is no new funding. Instead, Trump proposes to raid an already dramatically underfunded unemployment system, effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is limited to only birth mothers, leaving out many parents, as well as workers who need paid leave to take care of their own health or that of their family members.
Let’s be clear: Donald Trump’s so-called working family proposals are just a veneer that, in actuality, would leave working families without the help they need. American families need and deserve policies that work for them—not just window dressing.
Additionally, experts from the Center for American Progress Action Fund are available today and this week to comment on Donald Trump’s child care and maternity leave proposals. The following CAP Action experts are available for comment:
- Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President, Policy
- Katie Hamm, Senior Director, Early Childhood Policy
- Shilpa Phadke, Senior Director, Women’s Initiative
- Sarah Jane Glynn, Director, Women’s Economic Policy
- Rebecca Vallas, Managing Director, Poverty to Prosperity Program
- Jocelyn Frye, Senior Fellow, Women’s Initiative
- Harry Stein, Director, Fiscal Policy
- Beatriz Lopez, Managing Director, Communications (en español)
Related resources:
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Allison Preiss at [email protected] or 202.478.6331.