As she continues her career-long fight in Congress to deliver a comprehensive federal child care investment, Senator Murray commends President Biden’s executive action
Murray’s landmark child care legislation—the Child Care for Working Families Act—would ensure working families pay no more than 7% of their income, or even less or nothing at all, toward child care
Former preschool teacher Senator Murray has fought to solve our child care crisis since she first got into office and has led Senate Democrats in pushing child care to the top of the economic agenda
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on the Executive Order President Biden will sign this afternoon directing federal agencies to take action to help make child care and long-term care more affordable and accessible for families across the country.
“The child care crisis in America is an urgent economic priority that needs to be addressed—and President Biden gets that. This executive order is the kind of critical action we need to see more of to make child care affordable and accessible for working families everywhere.
“As I’ve long made clear, to solve this crisis and deliver for families across our country, we’ve absolutely got to work every available avenue—and that includes marshalling the federal government to find solutions to boost the supply of child care, raise wages for child care workers, and lower costs for parents and families, which is exactly what President Biden is doing today. President Biden’s directive will help families across our country find and afford the child care and long-term care they need to be able to go to work with the simple knowledge that their loved ones are being cared for.
“This will make a real difference for families—but make no mistake: we need bold congressional action to make child care affordable and accessible in every part of this country. Lawmakers need to understand this: the child care crisis is an urgent economic imperative, and it’s one millions of parents and families are desperately counting on us to solve. I will keep fighting day in and out to make progress any way we can—and to pass my legislation to make child care work in America.”
Senator Murray—a former preschool teacher herself—is leading the fight in Congress to build a child care system that works for working families. She has been creative—and persistent—in her fight to ensure working parents can find and afford child care, and has made clear that addressing the child care crisis has to be on the agenda this Congress.
Last year, Senator Murray secured a 30% increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, the main source of federal child care support—a $1.8 billion increase in funding that will help serve hundreds of thousands more kids nationwide. Senator Murray and her Democratic colleagues in Congress also worked with President Biden in 2021, after COVID forced the child care sector to the brink of collapse, to provide $39 billion in the American Rescue Plan for child care programs across the country to weather the crisis, keep their employees—the majority of whom are women and workers of color—on payroll, and continue serving families during a tough stretch. The funding—which represents the largest-ever one-time investment in child care in history—saved the child care sector from collapse during the pandemic—helping over 200,000 child care providers keep their doors open and serve as many as 9.6 million children nationwide. In Washington state, the funding has reached providers in 97% of counties, supporting 6,120 child care programs across the state that serve 169,000 kids.
Senator Murray continues to fight for the bold change families are counting on to solve the child care crisis. She has introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act (CCWFA) every Congress since 2017. In 2021, the legislation became the basis for President Biden’s child care plan and a top priority for the Biden administration. Senator Murray’s landmark child care legislation would ensure working families pay no more than 7% of their income—and in many cases, even less or nothing at all—toward child care. Senator Murray’s legislation, which she plans to reintroduce soon, would also boost the supply of child care in America so families have more options and ensure child care workers are paid a living wage.
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