Child care plan offered by President Biden rebuffed by Sen. Romney

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Speaking on President Biden’s child care plan proposal, Utah Senator Mitt Romney said today, “I didn’t realize I was at a disadvantage because I was raised by my mom, who stayed home.” Sen. Romney spoke at a hearing of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Tuesday.

Sen. Romney’s remarks begin about 1 hour 22 minutes into the hearing linked above.

Romney was questioning the provision for universal child care included in the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which also includes 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. 

Romney said the policy he prefers would give parents the authority to make decisions about their child care, allowing them the option to stay home with children.

“If parents want to have one or both remain at home to raise a child, there’s a child-rearing advantage to that as well,” Romney told the committee.

Marcia St. Hilaire-Finn, the founder and CEO of Bright Start Early Care and Preschool in Washington, DC, responded by saying that, while parents are a child’s first teachers, there are benefits to a group child care plan as well.

“Allowing a child to be in a setting where they can develop the cognitive and the social-emotional skills will allow the parents to work, and they don’t have to worry about their child falling behind,” she said.

Senator Romney has proposed an alternative plan to help working families. It would provide $350 monthly payments for the youngest children and $250 for those of school age up to a maximum of $1,250 per year. It would be paid for by modifying some existing programs and reducing federal deductions for state and local taxes.

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