Floor SpeechUrgent2025-03-04

Introductory Statement on S. 847

EconomyTaxesEducation

Context

On 2025-03-04, Senator Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) delivered a floor speech titled "Introductory Statement On S. 847" in the Senate. The speech addressed the economy and also covered taxes, education. It referenced legislation including S847, S1499, S1500.

Full Text

Introductory Statement on S. 847

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 41 (Tuesday, March 4, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 4, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S1499-S1500] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] By Mrs. BRITT (for herself, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Curtis, Mr. King, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mrs. Capito): S. 847. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand the employer-provided child care credit and the dependent care assistance exclusion; to the Committee on Finance. Mrs. BRITT. Mr. President on November 5, President Donald J. Trump was elected to a second term on the back of a big-tent coalition. In 2024, this election showed us that we needed to put the finishing touches on a shift that we have seen occurring in our party and our Nation. The Republican Party is the party of parents, we are the party of families, and we are the party of hard-working Americans. We have an opportunity to prove it, starting with addressing our country's childcare crisis. Anyone who has kids can attest to this: It is incredibly difficult to find affordable, accessible, high-quality childcare. When I was a student in Tuscaloosa--I had gone back to school with essentially a newborn and an 11-month-old; decided, why not? Law school sounds good. I joked that on the scale of bad ideas I have had in my life--and I have had a few--that one is without a doubt No. 1. In the midst of trying to figure out my 1L year, I also had to figure out childcare, and it was challenging for me to find a place where I could get both of my kids in. So at the very beginning, there I was, taking one child to one place and one child to another, all hoping to show up at torts on time and then get back before you get fined, picking them both up and hoping traffic didn't keep me from being late. When my husband and I had the opportunity to move to Birmingham, where he began his new career and I had 1 more year of law school left, we got them immediately--both of our kids--into one childcare facility. But the check that we wrote--wow--it felt like I was writing a check for college tuition and not a check for a 3- and 4-year-old to be cared for and loved and educated during the day. Well, I will tell you what. The problem--that was, what, 13 years ago--has [[Page S1500]] only gotten worse. Childcare costs have been increasing. They have actually increased 36 percent over the last 10 years, actually outpacing inflation. It has gotten to the point where parents, on average, are spending 22 percent of their income on childcare. The median annual price of childcare in this country is about $15,600. The cost is crushing for so many parents. It is also prohibitive. Ask yourself this: How many married couples, do you think, think about having another child; they want to, and they start looking at the dollars and cents and feel like they can't financially afford it? To my fellow Republicans: Don't we want to incentivize rather than deter parents from starting their families? And how can we, as the party of life and the party of families and the party of parents and the party of workers, neglect to make that easier? If our goal is creating a comprehensive culture of life--and that should absolutely be our goal--then we have a role to play in the childcare space. But families are not the only ones that are affected by the current state of childcare in this country. The amount of money that the American economy loses annually because of childcare, the challenges that we face as a result of the affordability and accessibility, are staggering. Our economy loses $122 billion a year, and 74 percent of mothers and 66 percent of fathers either have to leave work early, arrive late, or be absent because of last-minute changes in childcare. Also, 59 percent of part-time or nonworking parents say they would go back to work--they want to go back to work--but, unfortunately, they don't have access to quality childcare at a reasonable cost. That isn't good for the broader economy, and it isn't good for American workers. President Trump has made it clear he wants America to be a place that builds things once again. He wants to unleash a golden era for made-in- America excellence, where the skill, hard work, and ingenuity of our people accomplish the impossible and changes the world. To accomplish that goal, which I wholeheartedly agree with, we need to tackle the childcare affordability crisis. Ultimately, this is a workforce crisis as well. That is where the two-pronged approach that I have introduced today, alongside a number of my colleagues, comes into play. With the Child Care Workforce Act and the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act, it consists of targeted investments in families and small businesses. It modernizes our existing tax credits so that our policy reflects our current economic reality. It is a good example of commonsense policymaking. We are not creating or growing another entitlement. We are letting Americans keep more of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars in a manner that grows our economy and gives people an opportunity for their American dream. And we are offering job creators an incentive to invest directly into hard-working people with childcare-related benefits. We will help couples who want to have more children. We will help parents be able to reenter the workforce after having kids. And we will help our job creators--especially small businesses--recruit and retain workers. This legislation is pro-family. It is pro-Main Street. It is pro- growth. For the first time in years, the Republican Party controls both Chambers of Congress and the White House. We have an opportunity we can't afford to waste. If we truly are the party of parents and families and hard-working Americans, we have an opportunity to prove it. Let's address the childcare crisis in this year's tax package. I think America will be better for it. ____________________

Referenced legislation: S847

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Introductory Statement on S. 847 Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 41 (Tuesday, March 4, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 4, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S1499-S1500] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] By Mrs. BRITT (for herself, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Curtis, Mr. King, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mrs. Capito): S. 847. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand the employer-provided child care credit and the dependent care assistance exclusion; to the Committee on Finance. Mrs. BRITT. Mr. President on November 5, President Donald J. Trump was elected to a second term on the back of a big-tent coalition. In 2024, this election showed us that we needed to put the finishing touches on a shift that we have seen occurring in our party and our Nation. The Republican Party is the party of parents, we are the party of families, and we are the party of hard-working Americans. We have an opportunity to prove it, starting with addressing our country's childcare crisis. Anyone who has kids can attest to this: It is incredibly difficult to find affordable, accessible, high-quality childcare. When I was a student in Tuscaloosa--I had gone back to school with essentially a newborn and an 11-month-old; decided, why not? Law school sounds good. I joked that on the scale of bad ideas I have had in my life--and I have had a few--that one is without a doubt No. 1. In the midst of trying to figure out my 1L year, I also had to figure out childcare, and it was challenging for me to find a place where I could get both of my kids in. So at the very beginning, there I was, taking one child to one place and one child to another, all hoping to show up at torts on time and then get back before you get fined, picking them both up and hoping traffic didn't keep me from being late. When my husband and I had the opportunity to move to Birmingham, where he began his new career and I had 1 more year of law school left, we got them immediately--both of our kids--into one childcare facility. But the check that we wrote--wow--it felt like I was writing a check for college tuition and not a check for a 3- and 4-year-old to be cared for and loved and educated during the day. Well, I will tell you what. The problem--that was, what, 13 years ago--has [[Page S1500]] only gotten worse. Childcare costs have been increasing. They have actually increased 36 percent over the last 10 years, actually outpacing inflation. It has gotten to the point where parents, on average, are spending 22 percent of their income on childcare. The median annual price of childcare in this country is about $15,600. The cost is crushing for so many parents. It is also prohibitive. Ask yourself this: How many married couples, do you think, think about having another child; they want to, and they start looking at the dollars and cents and feel like they can't financially afford it? To my fellow Republicans: Don't we want to incentivize rather than deter parents from starting their families? And how can we, as the party of life and the party of families and the party of parents and the party of workers, neglect to make that easier? If our goal is creating a comprehensive culture of life--and that should absolutely be our goal--then we have a role to play in the childcare space. But families are not the only ones that are affected by the current state of childcare in this country. The amount of money that the American economy loses annually because of childcare, the challenges that we face as a result of the affordability and accessibility, are staggering. Our economy loses $122 billion a year, and 74 percent of mothers and 66 percent of fathers either have to leave work early, arrive late, or be absent because of last-minute changes in childcare. Also, 59 percent of part-time or nonworking parents say they would go back to work--they want to go back to work--but, unfortunately, they don't have access to quality childcare at a reasonable cost. That isn't good for the broader economy, and it isn't good for American workers. President Trump has made it clear he wants America to be a place that builds things once again. He wants to unleash a golden era for made-in- America excellence, where the skill, hard work, and ingenuity of our people accomplish the impossible and changes the world. To accomplish that goal, which I wholeheartedly agree with, we need to tackle the childcare affordability crisis. Ultimately, this is a workforce crisis as well. That is where the two-pronged approach that I have introduced today, alongside a number of my colleagues, comes into play. With the Child Care Workforce Act and the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act, it consists of targeted investments in families and small businesses. It modernizes our existing tax credits so that our policy reflects our current economic reality. It is a good example of commonsense policymaking. We are not creating or growing another entitlement. We are letting Americans keep more of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars in a manner that grows our economy and gives people an opportunity for their American dream. And we are offering job creators an incentive to invest directly into hard-working people with childcare-related benefits. We will help couples who want to have more children. We will help parents be able to reenter the workforce after having kids. And we will help our job creators--especially small businesses--recruit and retain workers. This legislation is pro-family. It is pro-Main Street. It is pro- growth. For the first time in years, the Republican Party controls both Chambers of Congress and the White House. We have an opportunity we can't afford to waste. If we truly are the party of parents and families and hard-working Americans, we have an opportunity to prove it. Let's address the childcare crisis in this year's tax package. I think America will be better for it. ____________________ Referenced legislation: S847