Murray: “Trump and Musk are preparing lifeboats for billionaires who can already buy their own fleet of yachts—but ripping away support for families who have been struggling for years to keep their heads above water.”
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, joined a virtual press call to discuss the Trump administration’s recent attacks on child care and Head Start—and President Trump’s utter failure to do anything to help families find and afford child care, despite his promises to lower costs for American families. The call was hosted by Child Care for Every Family, Zero to Three, the National Women’s Law Center, and MomsRising.
Senator Murray blasted the Trump administration’s mass firings at Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care—which reportedly lost roughly 20% and 25% of their staff respectively—as well as the Trump administration’s blanket funding freeze that caused chaos and uncertainty for Head Start centers nationwide, including in Washington state.
“In a shock to no one, a billionaire like Donald Trump and his boss, Elon Musk—the literal richest man on the planet—have absolutely zero clue why child care is so important to families and to our economy. Despite the President’s grand campaign promises to lower families’ costs, Trump and Musk have done absolutely nothing to increase child care openings, nothing to lower child care costs, nothing whatsoever to address the child care crisis,” said Senator Murray. “When it comes to helping themselves, they are gearing up to give themselves and other billionaires trillions in tax cuts—but when it comes to helping parents and kids, a big fat zero.”
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered on today’s press call, are below:
“In a shock to no one, a billionaire like Donald Trump and his boss, Elon Musk—the literal richest man on the planet—have absolutely zero clue why child care is so important to families and to our economy.
“And despite the President’s grand campaign promises to lower families’ costs, Trump and Musk have done absolutely nothing to increase child care openings, nothing to lower child care costs, nothing whatsoever to address the child care crisis.
“Of course, when it comes to helping themselves, they are gearing up to give themselves and other billionaires trillions in tax cuts—but when it comes to helping parents and kids, a big fat zero.
“And really, even that is being far too kind—because all they have done so far is make the child care crisis worse, and all their plans for what to do next are to make it even worse!
“When Trump and Musk are haphazardly freezing Head Start funding, then promising to turn it back on, but not actually ensuring that happens, and throwing Head Start centers and families who count on them into complete chaos; when they are firing, left and right, without rhyme or reason, the very workers who help child care providers and Head Start centers keep their doors open and who help ensure the kids in their care are safe—they are turning their backs on families and making the child care crisis that much worse.
“President Trump and Elon Musk have reportedly already fired a fifth of workers at the federal Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care—and it’s clear they plan to keep firing federal workers with reckless abandon. These are folks that help all of our states keep child care and Head Start centers open.
“There’s no mistaking it: Trump and Musk’s agenda will have devastating consequences for families and for our economy.
“Because—despite how important Elon Musk thinks he is—the reality is that working families are the backbone of our economy. And mom and dad can’t go to work if they can’t get child care.
“And of course, if things weren’t bad enough—Republicans’ next big priority involves ripping health care away from kids and families and seniors to shower even more tax cuts on billionaires. Child care doesn’t become more affordable when parents and their kids get kicked off Medicaid.
“In other words, Trump and Musk are preparing lifeboats for billionaires who can already buy their own fleet of yachts—but ripping away support for families who have been struggling for years to keep their heads above water.
“They are telling fellow billionaires: ‘Whatever you want!’ And telling parents and kids: ‘Tough luck!’
“Well, I have fought for child care from my first day in politics and I am going to make sure they know I am not stopping now.”
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