When does it become necessary for the federal government to provide support for workers, filling gaps employers may be unable to cover in access to healthcare, child care and financial wellness?
The Build Back Better bill was meant to answer this question with a resounding “now,” but as the $2 trillion spending bill meets continued opposition from both Republicans and Democrats, it’s less and less certain when and what provisions could eventually go into effect.
For Ruth Martin, senior vice president and chief workplace justice officer at MomsRising, an organization that works to increase family economic security and end discrimination against mothers, this bill is a long overdue investment in the U.S. infrastructure, and the working parents who hold it up.
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“We hear from moms every day about how they are at their breaking point — we were already there before the pandemic and the pandemic just made everything worse,” says Martin. “When one of our members saw the initial framework for Build Back Better, she cried tears of relief.”
Alongside free, universal preschool for three- and four-years olds, the bill would ensure access to affordable child care services, stipulating that parents who make at or below the state median income in 2022 do not pay more than a set percentage of their income on child care. For example, a family of four in Arizona with an annual income of approximately $82,000 would pay no more than $1,645 or 0.5% of their income on child care.
This could mean much-needed financial relief for millions of families. On average, preschool costs anywhere between $4,460 to $13,158 per year, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. Additionally, YouGov estimates that parents spend over $8,000 on child care annually.
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“The government has a responsibility to help people earn a living,” says Pam Cohen, behavioral research scientist and president of Werklabs, the research division of The Mom Project, a digital talent marketplace for women. “There are people who think that money for these types of things should come from private sources, but that just puts the burden back on the American family.”
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The Build Back Better bill stipulates that in the first three years after it’s passed by Congress, 25% of the funding states receive will be allocated to activities that improve the quality and quantity of child care services, while another 25% goes to supply and quality building or administration costs. This money could be essential to increasing the number of child care facilities and providers.
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“You can’t hire people without having the money to put them through training while also making sure they’re not underpaid and undervalued once they’re working — not to mention the facility maintenance and equipment that comes with it,” says Cohen. “Child care deserts were an issue even prior to the pandemic, and to solve it, funding will likely need to come from the government.”
Beyond child care support, Build Back Better also includes the permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit, which expired in 2022. Since July of 2021, this provision sent low-income families monthly payments of $300 per child under six years old and $250 for a child under 17 years old; the money in total supported 61 million children. This expanded credit would help an estimated nine out of 10 children in the U.S. and is expected to reduce child poverty by more than 40%, as cited by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
“We hear from our members on a daily basis that the child tax credit helped them put food on the table,” says Martin. “This has helped families make sure their car is running and that they could go to the grocery store and sports practices. It has been a huge lifeline.”
The bill also proposes enhanced family and medical leave for the first time in nearly 30 years. While the bill originally proposed 12 weeks of paid leave for private-sector workers, the provision now sits at four weeks, which is still a substantial expansion given that only nine states alongside Puerto Rico guarantee family leave.
Martin, whose mom underwent chemo last year, recalls being thankful she could take paid leave to care for her mom, using three days of leave every six weeks. However, Martin notes that her siblings did not have employers that offered the same benefit.
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“I was the only one who could do it because I was the only one that had that paid time off,” she says. “We need to be able to welcome our children into our lives, care for our own health concerns and care for everyone in our families. We know in our bones the benefit that this is going to have for our families, our communities and our economy — it’s heartbreaking that we are not there yet.”
It’s unclear whether Congress will ever pass the Build Back Better bill, and it’s even more unclear whether, if passed, it would still include the Child Tax Credit and guaranteed family and medical leave. Democratic senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia publicly pulled his support of Build Back Better, going as far as to call the bill “dead” and stalling progress on the legislation indefinitely, since it needs the support of all 50 Democratic senators.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren told CBS Mornings that she is open to breaking up the bill just to increase its chances of passing, meaning more cuts to what could be essential provisions for millions of Americans.
“Congress needs to stop stalling and come up with a plan that cuts across parties,” Cohen says. “We're in a time of a national crisis. There's really no downside to providing quality childcare and financial support to parents and families.”
