Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Thursday, February 5, Democratic Women’s Caucus Caregiving Task Force Co-Chairs Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), and Lateefah Simon (CA-12), alongside DWC member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), led 23 members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) in a letter demanding Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reverse a proposed rule that will make child care less affordable and accessible. 

In a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, the Members warned that the Restoring Flexibility in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) (RIN) 0970-AD20 (proposed rule) would jeopardize the financial stability of women and families as well as child care providers. 

The Members explained that the proposed rule would repeal the 2024 CCDF Final Rule (current rule), creating more barriers to accessible child care. The current rule protects families from excessive costs, stabilizes child care programs, and increases child care options for families. 

“One of the most significant provisions in the 2024 CCDF Final Rule [current rule] capped child care copayments at 7 percent of household income. Prior to this change, some states already capped copayments at 7 percent of family income, but other states charged co-payments as high as 27 percent of family income. Additionally, before the 2024 Final Rule [current rule], copayments as a percentage of family income continued to increase for many families over the last two decades. The proposed rule, (RIN) 0970-AD20, asserts the 7 percent cap is not necessary. We disagree. Without the capped payments, families could be forced to pay even more for the child care they need.”

The Members also warned that repealing the current rule would further destabilize the child care workforce—primarily underpaid women, women of color, and immigrants.

“The 2024 CCDF Final Rule [current rule] provided greater stability for child care workers through improved payment rates and practices. This included shifting provider payments to be closer in alignment with the private-pay market through paying providers prospectively, a requirement of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have alleged fraud in the child care system, in part due to paying providers for services before they render them even though this was a policy used in the first Trump administration. Child care providers operate on increasingly thin margins and paying providers in advance allows for greater stability in the child care market, which is why some states, both red and blue, already used this important payment practice.”

The Members concluded by calling for sustained federal investment in child care to expand access, improve affordability, and support working families.

“This proposed rule (RIN) 0970-AD20 does nothing to lower costs for working families and nothing to support women and children. The proposed rule would undermine the mission of CCDF and harm an already fragile child care system at the expense of women and children. Women and families must be able to access child care that best meets their children’s needs. For these reasons, we strongly oppose the proposed rule, (RIN) 0970-AD20.”

Read the full letter here.

In addition to letter leads Debbie Dingell, Brittany Pettersen, Lateefah Simon, and Suzanne Bonamici, the letter was signed by Teresa Leger Fernández, Jasmine Crockett, Judy Chu, Norma J. Torres, Sara Jacobs, Emily Randall, Nikema Williams, Jill Tokuda, Kelly Morrison, Joyce Beatty, Sarah McBride, Julie Johnson, Andrea Salinas, Deborah K. Ross, Pramila Jayapal, Lois Frankel, Sarah Elfreth, Rashida Tlaib, Nellie Pou, Nydia M. Velázquez, Frederica S. Wilson, Haley M. Stevens,  April McClain Delaney, Laura Friedman, Veronica Escobar, Julia Brownley, Zoe Lofgren, Summer L. Lee, Delia C. Ramirez, Jahana Hayes, Linda T. Sánchez, and Jennifer L. McClellan.