Whip Clark: "We Saved Child Care During the Pandemic. Now, We Need To Finish the Job."

Press Conference

"Thank you to everyone for coming to Capitol Hill -- with your [union] brothers and sisters -- to deliver our message loud and clear. And what is that message? 'Care Can't Wait!'

Let's be clear -- crystal clear -- child care is economic infrastructure. And our country can not function without it -- can not function without all of you. And if parents can't afford to go to work, it all grinds to a halt. That's true in every state, every Congressional district, every zip code.

Just this week, I got to travel to Chris Deluzio's district in Western Pennsylvania. We toured their new airport. And you know what they put in place with the Bipartisan Infrastructure money? A child care center. A child care center. And that means that the workers working in concession at the airport, TSA workers, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, they can go to work and have a quality, safe environment for their children. They would all be forced to choose a job or their kids if we do not keep this fight up.

Fortunately, we not only have Leader Hakeem Jeffries -- we have a President, and a Senate Majority, and a House Democratic Caucus that are united behind working families, parents, kids, and workers. What we need is for Republicans to either get on board or get out of our way.

So, the GOP has let critical child care funding expire. And now, millions of parents and caregivers are on the verge of crisis. If we don't act now 70,000 child care centers will close. Workers will be laid off. Kids will be kicked out of classrooms. And parents will have nowhere to turn. 

We saved child care -- all of us together -- during the pandemic. Now, we need to finish the job. We're not going to walk away from this fight. We can, and must, fund child care as [the] critical infrastructure that it is -- as the glue that holds our economy together. For moms. For dads. For kids. For early educators. For our entire country.

So I thank all of you in the Care Can't Wait Coalition for making your voices heard. You're on the frontlines of this fight, and House Democrats are proud to stand with you. It's my privilege to turn the floor over to one of these fighters. A child care provider. A proud member of SEIU Local 521. Maria Angelica Vargas."

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