Trump child care plan breaks with conservative orthodoxy

[webfact]

Trump child care plan breaks with conservative orthodoxy

By JONATHAN LEMIRE and NICHOLAS RICCARDI

 

ASTON, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump rolled out a plan Tuesday aimed at making child care more affordable, guaranteeing new mothers six weeks of paid maternity leave and suggesting new incentives for employees to provide their workers childcare. Spurred on by his daughter, Ivanka, Trump waded into topics more often discussed by Democrats.

 

Trump unveiled the proposals in a speech in a politically critical Philadelphia suburb as he tries to build his appeal with more moderate, independent voters — especially women. Child care is one of the biggest expenses many American families face, surpassing the cost of college and even housing in many states.

 

"We need working mothers to be fairly compensated for their work, and to have access to affordable, quality child care for their kids," Trump said in Aston, Pennsylvania. "These solutions must update laws passed more than half a century ago when most women were still not in the labor force."

 

Trump proposed guaranteeing six weeks of paid maternity leave to employees whose employers don't offer leave already. The campaign says the payments would be provided through existing unemployment insurance — though it has yet to spell out how the system would cover those costs.

 

Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, has called for 12 weeks parental leave for both mothers and fathers paid for by taxes on the wealthy.

 

Trump previously proposed reducing child care costs by allowing parents to fully deduct the average cost of child care from their taxes. On Tuesday, he expanded that proposal to allow families with a stay-at-home parent to qualify for the deduction and to include costs associated with caring for elderly dependent relatives.

 

The deduction would apply only to individuals earning $250,000 or less, or $500,000 or less if filing jointly. But because Trump's proposal is a tax deduction rather than credit, its greatest benefits would go to affluent households. More than 40 percent of U.S. taxpayers don't make enough money to owe taxes to the federal government, meaning they would not benefit from a deduction. Lower-income earners would receive child-care spending rebates through expanding the existing Earned Income Tax Credit, the campaign said.

 

Trump also proposed incentives for employers to provide child-care options at work. But some of his proposals to prod businesses and communities into providing childcare and other services are anathema to conservative orthodoxy.

 

At one point, Trump was interrupted briefly by a crying baby — but, unlike at a rally in August, he did not suggest he wanted the child ejected.

 

The timing, location and subject matter are no coincidence. Democratic presidential candidates have won Pennsylvania since 1992, but Trump hopes to flip the battleground to win the White House in November. And Trump has been trying to soften his image among college-educated women who have been reluctant to support a candidate who has made many derogatory remarks toward women.

 

Ivanka Trump introduced Trump in Pennsylvania and, earlier in the day in Iowa, the candidate credited his daughter for his action on the issue. "She is the one who has been pushing for it so hard: 'Daddy, Daddy we have to do this.' She's very smart, and she's right," the candidate said.

 

The timing raised some eyebrows among skeptics.

 

Carmel Martin at the liberal Center for American Progress said the new savings accounts would create a potential tax shelter for wealthy people and that Trump's proposals remain tilted to the rich because the low-income child-care rebates top out at $1,200.

 

"It would definitely work for Ivanka, but not for most American families," Martin said.

 

Trump laid out plans to create "Dependent Care Savings Accounts" that would allow families to set aside money to look after children or elderly parents. The accounts would allow tax-deductible contributions and tax-free appreciation and could be used to pay for child care, after-school programs and school tuition. To help lower-income parents, the government would match half of the first $1,000 deposited per year.

 

For elderly dependents, the accounts could be used to help pay for services including in-home nursing and long-term care.

 

Currently, families can set aside up to $5000 annually for child care expenses or elder care but not for school tuition and cannot carry over the amount in the account.

 

Trump did not lay out how much the proposals would cost, but insisted the extra spending would be offset by economic growth and other cuts.

 

Clinton, meanwhile, proposes that no family should spend more than 10 percent of its income on child care. To achieve this, Clinton would seek to boost federal spending on child-care subsidies and provide "tax relief for the cost of child care to working families." Those benefits would be offered on a sliding scale based on need, though Clinton has offered few other details since introducing the plan in May.

___

Riccardi reported from Denver. Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-09-14

[Ulysses G.]

Good for Trump. Next is dumping Obamacare and bringing in single-payer health insurance.

Edited September 14, 2016 by Ulysses G.

[Silurian]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

But because Trump's proposal is a tax deduction rather than credit, its greatest benefits would go to affluent households. More than 40 percent of U.S. taxpayers don't make enough money to owe taxes to the federal government, meaning they would not benefit from a deduction.

 

Yeah, great plan. Most of those voting for Trump won't ever see this benefit. So much for helping the working class, eh Trump?

[stevenl]

27 minutes ago, Silurian said:

 

Yeah, great plan. Most of those voting for Trump won't ever see this benefit. So much for helping the working class, eh Trump?

Unfortunately they, his base, will only read ' Donald Trump rolled out a plan Tuesday aimed at making child care more affordable, guaranteeing new mothers six weeks of paid maternity leave and suggesting new incentives for employees to provide their workers childcare. '

 

Besides that, it is easy to give away something when you have no idea how to finance it.

[Silurian]

13 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Unfortunately they, his base, will only read ' Donald Trump rolled out a plan Tuesday aimed at making child care more affordable, guaranteeing new mothers six weeks of paid maternity leave and suggesting new incentives for employees to provide their workers childcare. '

 

Besides that, it is easy to give away something when you have no idea how to finance it.

 

Ah, the Trumpster isn't worried about how to pay for any his plans. According to Trump, America will be so rich and rolling in the money when he is president that all his great plans will be paid for with plenty of money left over. Every American will be so rich that it will be true utopia on earth. It will be the American Dream times 100! Oh, and Americans will be sick of "winning" all the time. Did I miss anything about Trump's great future?

[thaihome]

1 hour ago, Silurian said:

 

Ah, the Trumpster isn't worried about how to pay for any his plans. According to Trump, America will be so rich and rolling in the money when he is president that all his great plans will be paid for with plenty of money left over. Every American will be so rich that it will be true utopia on earth. It will be the American Dream times 100! Oh, and Americans will be sick of "winning" all the time. Did I miss anything about Trump's great future?

 

You missed the part about "only he can do it".

TH 

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

Good for Trump. Next is dumping Obamacare and bringing in single-payer health insurance.

That isn't trump's plan. 

The first part is. 

The second part isn't. 

 

[bark]

7 hours ago, Silurian said:

 

Yeah, great plan. Most of those voting for Trump won't ever see this benefit. So much for helping the working class, eh Trump?

I guess you haven't heard that women also work in the States !

[bark]

6 hours ago, stevenl said:

Unfortunately they, his base, will only read ' Donald Trump rolled out a plan Tuesday aimed at making child care more affordable, guaranteeing new mothers six weeks of paid maternity leave and suggesting new incentives for employees to provide their workers childcare. '

 

Besides that, it is easy to give away something when you have no idea how to finance it.

Company will pay, not government. Same as in Thailand; only mothers get 12 weeks here.

[stevenl]

2 minutes ago, bark said:

Company will pay, not government. Same as in Thailand; only mothers get 12 weeks here.

Ah, so this is not correct " The campaign says the payments would be provided through existing unemployment insurance — though it has yet to spell out how the system would cover those costs. ".

[Silurian]

1 hour ago, bark said:

I guess you haven't heard that women also work in the States !

 

Sorry, I don't understand your comment. I didn't mention anything about women not working in the States. What is it you are trying to state?

 

I was stating that since "Trump's proposal is a tax deduction rather than credit, its greatest benefits would go to affluent households. More than 40 percent of U.S. taxpayers don't make enough money to owe taxes to the federal government, meaning they would not benefit from a deduction."

 

This doesn't have to do with women but the fact that a number of Trump supporters won't be able to take advantage of this deduction as they don't have a high enough income to claim this deduction on income tax forms.

[adhd]

in all western countries, you have these options since decades

 

except in the land of the free

 

as the love to spend the money on useless wars 

[DM07]

Let's call it "an idea"!

For a plan -as usual- Trump does not present anything, that explains the "plan", how it will work, how it will be funded! (to name but a few problems)

I bet it is a great plan, tremendous, many people complimented him on it and it sure is huuuuuusch...

Edited September 15, 2016 by DM07

[Pinot]

16 hours ago, bark said:

I guess you haven't heard that women also work in the States !

 

They won't be voting for Trump. He burned that bridge a long time ago. 

 

This is too little, too late, badly planned with no details, a typical Trump policy proposal, DOA. Trump is clueless, losing badly with no organization.  

[bark]

16 hours ago, Silurian said:

 

Sorry, I don't understand your comment. I didn't mention anything about women not working in the States. What is it you are trying to state?

 

I was stating that since "Trump's proposal is a tax deduction rather than credit, its greatest benefits would go to affluent households. More than 40 percent of U.S. taxpayers don't make enough money to owe taxes to the federal government, meaning they would not benefit from a deduction."

 

This doesn't have to do with women but the fact that a number of Trump supporters won't be able to take advantage of this deduction as they don't have a high enough income to claim this deduction on income tax forms.

The idea is paid leave for women after giving birth.

[mrwebb8825]

why don't we see you Hiliphiles on any of the threads where Clinton has lied (again), got caught (again), nearly passed out (again), called a full 3rd of Americans deplorable, etc.? BUT, When Donald rolls out something positive you're all here like locusts on a fresh green field?