Senate Republicans on Thursday defeated a resolution from Sen. Patty Murray that would have overturned a Trump administration rule governing the Child Care and Development Fund, the main federal subsidy program for low-income families seeking child care.
Murray, a Washington Democrat and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, made use of the Congressional Review Act to introduce the measure to the floor. The rule she targeted took effect July 13 and reverses three earlier provisions: a cap limiting family copayments to 7 percent of household income, a requirement that providers be paid in advance and based on enrollment rather than attendance, and measures directing more slots toward infants and toddlers, children with disabilities and underserved areas.
Murray argued the rollback compounds affordability pressure on both families and providers. She said some households would have saved as much as $15,000 a year had the 7 percent cap stayed in place, and described the change as a blow to parents and to providers already struggling with thin budgets and high staff turnover. She also said many families remain in the program while spending more than a fifth of their income on care.
The resolution drew backing from the Center for American Progress, MomsRising, the National Women’s Law Center, SEIU, ZERO TO THREE and Caring Across Generations, among others. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, an Oregon Democrat, is carrying a companion measure in the House. Murray’s office also pointed to her Child Care for Working Families Act, which it said has 44 cosponsors, and to a working group she launched in March with Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Congressional Review Act resolutions require only a simple majority and cannot be filibustered, but they are subject to presidential veto, meaning the measure faced almost certain defeat even had it cleared the Senate. Republicans and the Department of Health and Human Services have not publicly detailed their rationale for the May rule in this proceeding.
