2020 roundup: Warren sketches out child care plan
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is unveiling her latest policy proposal—universal child care—as she looks to show voters the types of progressive projects her administration could fund with her tax on the richest Americans.
The broad strokes of the plan, which Warren outlined in a Medium post on Tuesday are as follows:
- Universal childcare from birth until children are old enough to go to school
- A network of licensed centers created through public-private partnerships
- Families making less than 200 percent above the federal poverty line receive free childcare
- For all others, childcare costs will be capped at 7 percent of family income
- Warren's team ballparks the program, which would not be mandatory, at about $700 billion. The campaign adds that cost would be covered through her "Ultra-millionaire tax," which she says would bring in $2.75 trillion over ten years
Read more from Warren here, and read below for more from the campaign trail:
- Former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who has said he'll announce his decision on 2020 by the end of the month, said that he's keeping all options open, including a presidential bid, another Senate bid, or even perhaps serving as the Democratic nominee's vice presidential pick.
- NBC's Benjy Sarlin joined California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris in New Hampshire, where she pledged to "compete in New Hampshire" and "shake every hand that I possibly can" even as some question whether the state is integral to her path to the party's nomination
- Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's campaign welcomed Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders into the presidential race with a statement that prods at his influence pushing the Democratic Party to the left, the very leftward drift that Schultz says helped spark his potential candidacy.
Kayleigh McEnany, President Trump's newly-minted reelection national press secretary, made clear on Fox News that the campaign looks at the news media as right up there with Democrats as its biggest foes.
