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Letter: Biden Admin Delays Key Child Care Funds, Harming Families

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 30, 2021
Meanwhile, Democrats’ nearly $400 billion Washington mandates will drive up child care costs for working families

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration’s inaction on approving crucial and routine state Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) plans is delaying essential funds for child care providers, Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Ways and Means Committee Republican Leader Kevin Brady (R-TX) warned in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra.
 
While child care providers suffer each day these funds are delayed, Democrats’ tax-and-spend bill drives child care costs higher on middle class American families, creates duplicative, Washington-controlled child care, and overturns 30 years of bipartisan support for religious providers.

In the letter, the Members wrote:

• “States have more child care money than they know what to do with, but because of your inaction and delay many child care providers still haven’t seen a dime of what Congress passed in March.”

• “Due to your inaction, HHS has failed in its duty to approve state plans that would make an immediate impact on the availability of child care.”

• “The President’s $4 trillion tax and spend bill, the so-called Build Back Better plan, would spend another $382 billion to create duplicative, bureaucratic child care and universal pre-k proposals laced with new burdensome federal requirements. These programs will drive child care costs even higher for middle class families. Worse, Democrats’ legislation shuts faith-based providers out of the market, overturning 30 years of bipartisan support for religious providers.”

• “In total, Congress provided more than $54 billion in emergency funding for child care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s more than the entire revenue of the child care industry in 2019.”

• “We request an explanation for this delay and timeline for approval of CCDF state plans for FY 2022-2024. We also request a description of how the Administration is monitoring state compliance with Child Care Stabilization and other COVID-relief funds while states operate under expired plans.”

CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

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