Ivanka Trump joins dad to pitch child care policy, which he was laid out on Tuesday.
Advertisement
According to information leaked to multiple news outlets in advance of a presentation by Trump and his daughter Ivanka in Pennsylvania this evening, Trump’s proposals will be very expensive, and his plan to pay for them is sketchy at best.
During a rally in Des Moines on Tuesday afternoon, Trump credited Ivanka Trump for his action on the issue. “[Ivanka] is the one who has been pushing for it so hard: ‘Daddy, Daddy we have to do this, ‘” Donald said in Iowa on September 13. It also calls for guaranteeing new mothers six weeks of paid maternity leave and suggesting new incentives for employees to provide their workers childcare.
Currently, federal law guarantees only 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act for most employees.
Trump’s plan, the campaign said in a written outline, would “allow a family to make the choice of whether a parent should work outside the home or not without bias from the tax code”, and would “ensure stay-at-home parents receive the same tax deduction as working parents, offering compensation for the job they’re already doing”.
Under this part of the plan, those caring for elderly family members will also be eligible for tax deductions up to $5,000 per year. The deductions would be capped at the average state cost of rearing a child while individuals making $250,000 annually and households making $500,000 annually will be excluded.
Trump aides did not address how much the proposals would cost, but stressed that, when combined with other policies including Trump’s tax plan, it would be cost neutral.
That means, for example, for a family earning $70,000 per year in the 12 percent tax bracket with $7,000 in child care expenses, the deduction would reduce taxes by $840 per year.
Trump campaign officials did not detail the overall cost of the program.
The timing, location and subject matter are no coincidence.
Trump unveiled the proposals in a speech in a politically critical Philadelphia suburb as he tries to build his appeal with more moderate, independent voters especially women.
The timing raised some eyebrows among skeptics.
New savings accounts for families to cover child-related costs. He uses the model of savings accounts – which have been a conservative favorite for education, retirement, and health care – for additional care expenses.
Scholarships of up to $1,500 a year to help student parents afford child care.
To address this, Trump’s campaign unveiled childcare rebates – up to $1,200, staffers say – to provide benefits to people, who now don’t earn enough to pay federal income taxes.
“Cost of childcare is the single largest expense affecting American families. even exceeding housing”, Trump said on “The Kelly File”.
The key policy proposal of Trump’s child care plan will be a rewriting of the US tax code to enable families to deduct childcare expenses.
“Instead of asking those at the top to pay their fair share, he’s robbing Peter to pay Paul by raiding unemployment insurance funds, and giving the most to the wealthy while providing far less relief to middle-class and working families”, Harris wrote. Those benefits would be offered on a sliding scale based on need.
Read Clinton’s full plan here.
The Clinton campaign responded with a television ad juxtaposing that comment with Trump’s own attacks on voters, including this comment from previous year about then-GOP primary rival Ben Carson, who is now a close ally of Trump: “How stupid are the people of Iowa?”
Trump says his child and elder care policies “will foster economic anf family growth”.
Advertisement
Riccardi reported from Denver.
