“Unlike one-size-fits-all plans proposed by Democrats, Mr. Trump’s innovative plan ensures parents have options that fit their needs when it comes for caring for their children”, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) said in a separate statement. The child-care proposal could help Mr. Trump appeal to blocs of voters who have resisted him, such as women and swing voters that dominate the Philadelphia suburbs, even as it contravenes parts of GOP orthodoxy on tax and social policy.
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Trump’s plan allows for a federal income tax deduction of childcare expenses for up to four children and elderly dependents.
The candidate’s daughter will be giving one of her most high profile remarks on the campaign trail since she delivered a well-received speech at the Republican National Convention in late July, and flashed her potential as an effective campaign surrogate.
Providing paid leave to new families has been a policy issue advocated by both Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The campaign says the payments would be provided through existing unemployment insurance – though it has yet to spell out how the system would cover those costs.
Mrs. Clinton has also proposed a law to guarantee workers up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to care for a new child or a seriously ill family member.
On Sept. 13, the Trump campaign announced a plan to allow families to deduct child-care expenses, up to the average cost of child care in their state.
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has proposed revising and expanding tax breaks created to reduce the cost of child care and elderly dependent care. The tax deduction will be available to families earning less than $500,000 or individuals earning less than $250,000.
Trump pushed back on those assertions at the rally Tuesday night, charging that Clinton doesn’t have a similar plan to help working mothers. Trump states his plan would increase the cap associated with this tax credit, shorten the recapture period, and devise ways for companies to pool resources in order to make the credit more attractive. The Trump campaign suggested that money for this account could also be used for tuition at private schools. “Working parents can get an expanded EITC benefit that equals up to half of their total payroll tax – a major relief for low-income parents”.
“Ivanka Trump added that “This is not a women’s issue”. He uses the model of savings accounts – which have been a conservative favorite for education, retirement, and health care – for additional care expenses.
Advocates for paid family leave have welcomed all discussion of the issue by candidates.
Trump also falsely claimed that Clinton did not have a childcare policy – and that if she did it would be “all talk no action”. “Safe, affordable high-quality childcare should not be the luxury of a fortunate few”.
Trump did not lay out how much the proposals would cost, but insisted the extra spending would be offset by economic growth and other cuts.
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Read Clinton’s full plan here. “The lack of seriousness of this proposal is no surprise given his history of disrespecting women in the workplace and the fact there’s no evidence he ever provided paid family leave or childcare to his own employees”, Clinton aide Maya Harris said.
