Spurred on by his daughter, Ivanka, Trump waded into topics more often discussed by Democrats.
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Trump will unveil the plans in a speech in a politically critical Philadelphia suburb as he tries to build his appeal with more moderate, independent voters – especially women.
Child-care costs have indeed outpaced rent and tuition in most USA states. She has also called for universal access to preschool education, increased federal subsidies and tax breaks for child-care costs, a program to promote raises for child care workers, increased spending for Early Head Start programs, and scholarships for college students with children.
The proposal also calls for providing six weeks of paid maternity leave through unemployment benefits to parents whose employers don’t offer paid maternity leave. The campaign says it would be provided through existing unemployment insurance.
“Donald Trump released a regressive and insufficient “maternity leave” policy that is out-of-touch, half-baked and ignores the way Americans live and work today”, said Maya Harris, policy adviser to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, in a statement Tuesday.
Trump will also propose a new set of tax breaks meant to compensate families at the rate of the average annual childcare cost in the state where they reside. He is expected to flesh out that plan Tuesday, including expanding the deduction to include costs associated with caring for elderly dependent relatives. The campaign says this is focused on “working and middle-class families”, though its income caps – $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for couples – far exceeding most people’s definition of working class. But because Trump’s proposal is a tax deduction rather than credit, its greatest benefits would go to affluent households. More than 40 percent of USA taxpayers don’t make enough money to owe taxes to the federal government, meaning they would not benefit from a deduction.
But his proposals to prod businesses and communities into providing childcare and other services are anathema to conservative orthodoxy.
At one point, Trump was interrupted briefly by a crying baby – but, unlike at a rally in August, he did not suggest he wanted the child ejected.
The timing, location and subject matter are no coincidence.
President Barack Obama stumped for Hillary Clinton after seven weeks off of the trail, attacking rival Donald Trump with some of his harshest language yet.
Trump’s detailed proposals Tuesday marked Trump’s latest effort to fix his relationship with women voters, many of whom have come to know Trump as the candidate who suggested Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly asked him tough questions because she was menstruating and who insinuated his GOP rival Carly Fiorina was too ugly to be elected. “One candidate who’s traveled to more countries than any secretary of state ever has, has more qualifications than pretty much anyone who’s ever run for this job and the other who isn’t fit in any way, shape, or form to represent this country overseas and be its commander-in-chief”, Obama said.
The timing raised some eyebrows among skeptics.
Carmel Martin at the liberal Center for American Progress said the new savings accounts would create a potential tax shelter for wealthy people and that Trump’s proposals remain tilted to the rich because the low-income child-care rebates top out at $1,200. The accounts would allow tax-deductible contributions and tax-free appreciation and could be used to pay for child care, after-school programs and school tuition.
Dependent-care savings accounts would be available to all.
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.
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.
Mrs. Clinton has advanced a proposal to limit child care costs to 10% of a family’s income, but has offered few details on how that would work.
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Clinton declined to support a Democratic backed paid family leave bill in 2016 because it would raise payroll taxes for workers and companies by 0.2%, or about $1.38 per week for the median wage earner. Those benefits would be offered on a sliding scale based on need.
