As a working dad, Harry knows that rising child care costs are forcing families like his to make impossible decisions. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost of infant care in Maryland is $15,335. Put a different way, “a minimum wage worker in Maryland would need to work full time for 35 weeks, or from January to September, just to pay for child care for one infant.” At the same time, the families of child care workers are “twice as likely as the average family to live in poverty.” That’s unacceptable, and we can fix both issues at the same time. In Congress, Harry would:
- Expand the Child Tax Credit to give families across Maryland tax relief.
- Restore child care stabilization funding provided by the American Rescue Plan by passing the Child Care Stabilization Act to slow the cost of child care and grow wages for workers.
- Join the Congressional Dads Caucus to continue to advocate for families and children every day.
- Support the Child Care for Working Families Act to ensure that no family under 150 percent of the state median income pays more than seven percent of their income on child care.