1600 Daily The White House • December 12, 2019 President Trump is Putting Parents Back in Charge

The White House • December 12, 2019 President Trump is putting parents back in charge Conservatives know that strong families are what make America thrive. They build up our neighborhoods, sustain our communities, pass down our values, and create a brighter future for every American citizen. Yet for years, Washington has treated families as an afterthought—at best—and an outright barrier to “progress” at worst. President Donald J. Trump knows that bureaucrats shouldn’t have the final say in raising our kids. So from child care to school choice to paid family leave, the Trump Administration is putting parents back in control.  Watch: President Trump is putting control back into parents’ hands! Today, President Trump and Ivanka Trump hosted a White House Summit on Child Care and Paid Family Leave. “Our goal is simple,” the President said. “We want to expand child care options and reduce unnecessary regulations so that parents can choose the best care for their children, including, and very importantly, in-home and faith-based care.” After all, how families balance work and raising children is a deeply personal choice. Government’s mission should be to support parents as they make the best decision possible for their families, not to dictate a one-size-fits-all “solution” for every household. That support begins with access to quality child care, both from safe providers and from parents themselves. “In more than 60 percent of American homes, both parents work,” President Trump said. “Yet many struggle to afford child care, which often costs more than $10,000 per year. And it’s devastating to families, frankly. Devastating.” Help is on the way. In his State of the Union Address this February, President Trump called for Congress to pass paid family leave into law. One week ago, legislators introduced “very strong bipartisan legislation, Paid Family Leave legislation,” the President said today. “We were thrilled.” This kind of support for working families has defined the Trump Administration’s economic and social agenda since day one: The President signed legislation last year securing historic funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which helps low-income families access quality child care programs.   The Trump tax cuts included a new tax credit that incentivizes companies to offer paid family leave to their employees.   The Administration worked with Congress to secure paid parental leave for all Federal employees as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.   The President’s tax cuts also doubled the child tax credit, benefitting more than 40 million American families with an average of over $2,200 apiece this year.   Without a booming economy, none of this progress would be possible. Last year alone, nearly 300,000 American families were lifted out of poverty. In that same period, more than 600,000 children being raised by single mothers were lifted from poverty, too. “We have a chance to give all moms and dads the resources and support they need to succeed, thrive, flourish, prosper, and help their sons and daughters reach their amazing God-given potential,” President Trump said. “Ivanka Trump goes to bat for working moms, ‘hardest, most rewarding job on Earth’” The facts: How the Trump Administration is supporting working families Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks at the White House Summit on Child Care and Paid Leave: Supporting America’s Working Families | December 12, 2019