President Donald Trump never ceases to baffle, shock and entertain us. During his address to Congress Tuesday evening, Trump chose to discuss the topic of affordable childcare, a topic that many Americans find near and dear to their hearts.
Trump’s plan is to expand the tax deduction families can claim for child care expenses for children under the age of 13.
Anyone making less than $250,000 could deduct the average cost of childcare. According to factcheck.org, roughly one in 50 households will take in more than $250,000 next year.
What is so scary is the cost of child care today is said to be more than the cost of college in-state tuition according to a new report from the think tank, New America.
Since Trump has now vowed to make child care in America cheaper, the question proposed is whether or not his efforts are going to assist the working families who actually need assistance.
One problem is that families have to pay income taxes in order to take advantage of the deductions. Many families in the working class don’t pay any federal income taxes because they earn too little in income. These families are making about $30,000 a year or less.
Unemployed, single parents and those without wages, seeking work or attending job training, would not benefit from the Trump subsidies and are underserved by existing programs. But aren’t these often times the families who need affordable child care the most?
An analysis by the Tax Policy Center has found what Trump is proposing may in fact benefit the rich more than help those in need. Experts at the Tax Policy Center report that 25 percent will go to people earning $200,000 or more, and 70 percent of the benefits will go to families that make $100,000 or more.
Another analysis by the Tax Policy Center found it would cost $115 billion over 10 years. That cost might make the proposal likely to be rejected by congress.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka has played a huge role in this plan, the issue of child care being an important issue to her. Some are praising her for her efforts. “If Ivanka Trump could actually get something like this through, it would be real and important progress,” Anne-Marie Slaughter, women’s rights champion, tweeted.
Because this issue is not part of the official GOP platform, the fact it’s even being addressed is definitely gaining attention, even positive attention in some unlikely places.
Elaine Maag, senior research associate at the Tax Policy Center said she was willing to give the president at least a little credit. “I would characterize the plan as identifying an important problem,” she said.
The fact there is a discussion taking place about affordable childcare is very important.
There are actually families who have parents choosing not to work because the would actually save money by not working and staying at home instead of paying for child care. However there still must be a way for policies to be put into place that will benefit low income families as well.
Trump’s plan will only benefit a small portion of our nation that needs affordable childcare. It’s important that everyone receives equal opportunities and we must not settle just because we are grateful for the conversation.