Biden to unveil $775 billion plan for universal preschool, child care and elder care

It would be funded by rolling back some real estate taxes and by “taking steps to increase tax compliance for high-income earners,” according to the Biden campaign.

“The pandemic has laid bare just how hard it is for people in this country to find access to quality caregiving they need for themselves, or to juggle the responsibilities of working and also caring for family members,” according to a campaign document released early Tuesday morning.

“If we truly want to reward work in this country, we have to ease the financial burden of care that families are carrying, and we have to elevate the compensation, benefits, training and education opportunities for certification, and dignity of caregiving workers and educators.”

Biden’s plan would also fund 150,000 community health-care workers, with many targeted to work in low-income and racially diverse areas. It would create a $8,000 tax credit to help low-income families pay for child care. And it would add funding for community colleges so they can provide child care for students.

The plan builds on earlier Biden proposals to create a $5,000 tax credit for “informal caregivers” and some Social Security credits for those who care for parents or relatives.

Biden’s campaign estimates that Tuesday’s proposal will lead to 5 million additional jobs in the economy, including both new caregiving positions that would be created and jobs the campaign said Americans could pursue once they are free from caring for children or relatives.

Over the past few weeks, Biden has floated the idea of the federal government helping Americans take care of the elderly, including their parents and children. He said his plan was mostly aimed at women and predicted broad support.

“Think of the millions of people out there, particularly women who are home taking care of daughters, taking care of their elderly parents, people who are there taking care of the young and the elderly with special needs. They should be paid,” he said during a fundraiser in June co-hosted by Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.). “We can make sure that we have a civilian force that is able to take care of those people and get paid to do it.”

During an economic roundtable last month in Philadelphia, Biden spoke about workers having difficulty obtaining affordable child care during the pandemic and said the government should pay for it “for as long as this crisis exists.” And he touted the idea of hiring 100,000 people as contact tracers to curb the spread of the disease, promising they would earn “a decent wage” and would then form the basis for a new public health workforce.

The moves are part of an effort by Biden to showcase empathy with the plight of average Americans. A new campaign ad, released last week and entitled “Tough,” has the feel of a public service announcement, urging people to wear masks and practice social distancing.

“I’m thinking of all of you today. And know the rise in case numbers is causing fear and apprehension. People are frightened,” Biden says in the ad. “This virus is tough. But we can stop the spread.”

“If you’re sick, if you’re struggling, if you’re worried about how you’re going to get through the day — I will not abandon you,” he says.

In his economic proposals, Biden has also ridiculed President Trump and cast his own life story as one that gives him a better understanding of the middle class.

“Donald Trump has no idea what it is to be a single parent who’s barely getting by but needs to find child care. He hasn’t a clue what it’s like to provide care for an aging parent. That’s understandable,” Biden said this month. “But it’s unconscionable that he doesn’t even really try to empathize with those who are struggling. Like a lot of you, I understand it personally.

“I know how hard it is to be a single dad who has to work with two young sons at home,” Biden added, a reference to the aftermath of a 1972 car crash that killed his wife and daughter and left his sons injured. “I know what it means to bring your aging parent into your home to take care of them in their final years. I’ve done both. And it’s hard. And it’s hard for millions of Americans who are just trying to make ends meet.”

He has previously called for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. He also called for higher pay for teachers, grocery store workers and health-care employees, saying that the coronavirus has laid bare the need to protect workers that previously went overlooked.