Conservative opposition to social safety nets is nothing new. But, as daycare costs continue to soar and the US Surgeon General warns that parents are dangerously overwhelmed, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle appear to agree that at least something needs to be done to help address the crisis.
Yet when faced with a simple question on the issue this week, Donald Trump and JD Vance stumbled profoundly, prompting many to wonder whether the Republican ticket had even bothered to think about child care affordability—again, one of the most acute problems facing the US economy—at all.
Just take a look. Here was Trump at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday, rambling through an incomprehensible, half-baked theory that foreign tariffs will solve the problem, easy-peasy—all while dodging the question of specific pieces of legislation he’d push to help make child care more affordable. Meanwhile, economists widely agree that sweeping tariffs would severely hurt world trade.
A new good stroller is $600+.
That is less than a week of daycare in our area. Ignoring thinking about college, daycare is the only cost that matters in terms of our kid. Everything else is pocket change, comparatively speaking. And the $5k dependent FSA amount is a total joke.
Right? The $5k dependent care FSA does save me about $1k per year but I’m still shelling out $21k for day care with $16k taxed.