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Donald Trump Unveils Plan for Families in Bid for Women Voters’ Support Donald Trump Unveils Plan for Families in Bid for Women’s Votes
(about 1 hour later)
ASTON, Pa. — Donald J. Trump unveiled a menu of proposals on Tuesday to ease the burden on working parents, calling for six weeks of mandatory paid maternity leave and expanded tax credits to help pay for child care. ASTON, Pa. — Donald J. Trump unveiled a menu of proposals on Tuesday to help working parents, calling for six weeks of mandatory paid maternity leave and expanded tax credits for child care.
The proposals, which Mr. Trump outlined in the politically critical Philadelphia suburbs along with his daughter Ivanka, represent a new attempt to court female voters whose support has eluded him. The proposals, which Mr. Trump outlined in the politically critical Philadelphia suburbs along with his daughter Ivanka, represent a new attempt to court female voters who polls show have been alienated by his bombast and history of provocative remarks about women.
“It’s pro-family, it’s pro-child, it’s pro-worker,” Mr. Trump said in releasing his plan at a rally here Tuesday night. “These are the people we have to take care of.” “Those in leadership must put themselves in the shoes of the laid-off factory worker, the family worried about security or the mom struggling to afford child care,” Mr. Trump said at a rally here.
Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump’s Democratic rival, issued her plan more than a year ago, and it guarantees up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for a newborn or a sick relative, financed by an increase in taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Under her plan, Mrs. Clinton would cap those costs at 10 percent of a family’s income, relying on tax cuts and subsidies to make up the difference. Mr. Trump’s decision to put forward such a plan represents a different approach from the one taken by previous Republican presidential nominees.
Mr. Trump and Ivanka spoke about the issue at the Republican National Convention in July, but the candidate had not mentioned it publicly until Tuesday. Mr. Trump faces a potentially record-high gender gap with women, but pushing the proposal so close to the election risks looking slapdash on a serious topic. But in selling his case, Mr. Trump stretched the truth, saying that his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has no such plan of her own and “never will.”
Mrs. Clinton issued her plan more than a year ago, and it guarantees up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for a newborn or a sick relative, financed by an increase in taxes on the wealthiest Americans. On Twitter, her campaign posted a link to her plan after Mr. Trump’s remark.
Mr. Trump and his daughter spoke about the issue at the Republican National Convention in July, but the candidate had not mentioned it publicly until Tuesday. Mr. Trump faces a potentially record-high gender gap with women, but pushing the proposal so close to the election risks looking slapdash on a serious topic.
The campaign staved off potential complaints from social conservatives who have historically frowned on giving incentives to mothers to work outside the home, by vowing to make those caretaker roles tax-deductible.
At the speech, Mr. Trump was joined by some female members of Congress. Noting one applauding in the audience as he spoke, Mr. Trump pointed to the crowd and said, “Makes your life a lot easier, right?”
Mr. Trump first proposed the child care initiative weeks ago, but he broadened it to help working parents after facing criticism that his initial proposal would primarily help high earners rather than women and families on the lower end of the economic spectrum.Mr. Trump first proposed the child care initiative weeks ago, but he broadened it to help working parents after facing criticism that his initial proposal would primarily help high earners rather than women and families on the lower end of the economic spectrum.
But the new recommendations contained a number of uncertainties, most notably how Mr. Trump would pay for them, and they still favor people with higher incomes. The candidate’s aides said that his goals would be achieved through a change in the tax code to help pay for child care, to be detailed in another speech, probably this week. “Child care is such a big problem,” he said Tuesday. “And we’re going to solve that problem.”
The main thrust of Mr. Trump’s plan involves a reordering of the tax code so working parents can take an income tax deduction for care of up to four children and older-adult dependents. The deduction is available for individuals earning up to $250,000, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. There would also be child care spending rebates as high as $1,200 a year for families on the lower end of the income scale, an amount that some critics called inadequate given that the cost of child care in some states is $10,000 to $20,000 a year. Ms. Trump, who stood next to her father as he spoke in Pennsylvania, said she would make the plan’s passage a priority if her father won. Affordable child care “should not be the luxury of a fortunate few,” she said.
Another proposal aimed at lower-income parents is a Dependent Care Savings account, a version of a flexible spending account usually offered by employers. Such accounts would be universally available and used for after-school or traditional child care, with a government match of $500 a year — a minuscule amount given the cost of such care. The new recommendations contained a number of uncertainties, most notably how Mr. Trump would pay for them, and they still favor people with higher incomes. The candidate’s aides said his goals would be achieved through a change in the tax code to help pay for child care, to be detailed in another speech, probably this week.
Among the open questions are whether the deductions that working parents could claim would replace the existing earned-income tax credit; whether there would be an age cap for the children involved; and what the actual scale of benefit would be for people of various incomes. The main thrust of Mr. Trump’s plan involves a reordering of the tax code so working parents can take an income tax deduction for care of up to four children and older-adult dependents. The deduction is available for individuals earning up to $250,000, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly.
The signature element of the plan, six weeks of paid maternity leave for new mothers whose employers do not currently provide coverage, would be financed by eliminating fraud in unemployment insurance. Mr. Trump’s aides trumpeted the proposal as unprecedented for a G.O.P. presidential nominee; many Republicans oppose requiring paid maternity leave as an onerous new regulation on businesses. There would also be child care spending rebates as high as $1,200 a year for families on the lower end of the income scale.
The campaign is issuing the plan as it is facing complaints from social conservatives who have historically frowned on giving incentives to mothers to work outside the home. The campaign plans to address that concern by offering stay-at-home mothers a new incentive in the tax code. That is an amount that some critics called inadequate given that the cost of child care in some states is $10,000 to $20,000 a year.
Earlier on Tuesday, at a campaign rally in Clive, Iowa, Mr. Trump singled out Ivanka, a mother of three who has developed her own licensing and branding company, as the driving force behind the plan. She was scheduled to speak about it in interviews in the coming days. Another proposal aimed at lower-income parents is a dependent care savings account, a version of a flexible spending account usually offered by employers. Such accounts would be universal and used for after-school or traditional child care, with a government match of $500 a year — a minuscule amount given the cost of such care, and given the difficulty that lower-income families have putting away money in such accounts.
“She is the one who has been pushing for it so hard. ‘Daddy, Daddy, we have to do this,’” Mr. Trump said. “She’s very smart, and she’s right.” Among the open questions are whether the deductions that working parents could claim would replace the existing earned-income tax credit, whether there would be an age cap for the children involved, and what the actual scale of benefit would be for people of various incomes.
The signature element of the plan, six weeks of paid maternity leave for new mothers whose employers do not currently provide coverage, would be financed by eliminating fraud in unemployment insurance.
Mr. Trump’s aides trumpeted the proposal as unprecedented for a G.O.P. presidential nominee; many Republicans oppose requiring paid maternity leave as an onerous new regulation on businesses.
Earlier Tuesday, at a campaign rally in Clive, Iowa, the candidate singled out Ivanka Trump, a mother of three who has developed her own licensing and branding company, as the driving force behind the plan.
Some social conservatives said they were pleasantly surprised by Mr. Trump’s proposed tax benefit for stay-at-home mothers.Some social conservatives said they were pleasantly surprised by Mr. Trump’s proposed tax benefit for stay-at-home mothers.
“I was quite pleased with it,” said Tony Perkins, of the conservative Family Research Council, calling it “innovative” in acknowledging “the contribution that stay-at-home parents make.” “I was quite pleased with it,” said Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council. He called it “innovative” in acknowledging “the contribution that stay-at-home parents make.”
But the plan was met with criticism from the Clinton campaign and skepticism from some child care advocacy groups, who warned that the people most in need of relief would not get it. But the plan was met with criticism from the Clinton campaign and skepticism from some child care advocacy groups, which warned that the people most in need of relief would not get it.
“After spending his entire career — and this entire campaign — demeaning women and dismissing the need to support working families,” Maya Harris, Mrs. Clinton’s senior policy adviser, said in a statement, “Donald Trump released a regressive and insufficient ‘maternity leave’ policy that is out of touch, half-baked and ignores the way Americans live and work today.”“After spending his entire career — and this entire campaign — demeaning women and dismissing the need to support working families,” Maya Harris, Mrs. Clinton’s senior policy adviser, said in a statement, “Donald Trump released a regressive and insufficient ‘maternity leave’ policy that is out of touch, half-baked and ignores the way Americans live and work today.”
Vivien Labaton, a director of the nonpartisan group Make It Work Action, called Mr. Trump’s plan “woefully inadequate.” She said that the earned-income tax credit component meant that families in need would have to wait to receive relief just once a year, and called the $1,200 rebate a “drop in the bucket” for low-income families who were facing child care costs of more than $10,000 a year. Vivien Labaton, a director of the nonpartisan group Make It Work Action, called Mr. Trump’s plan “woefully inadequate.”
Paid leave has generally been a Democratic priority, though Mr. Trump has addressed the issue. She said the earned-income tax credit component meant that families in need would have to wait to receive relief just once a year, and called the $1,200 rebate a “drop in the bucket” for low-income families who were facing child care costs of more than $10,000 a year.
Paid leave has increasing political resonance. One of the major reasons the share of women working in the United States has fallen behind other developed countries is the lack of paid family leave, according to research by Cornell University economists. American workers currently receive 12 weeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, but it is unpaid and applies to about half of workers. Paid leave has increasing political resonance. One of the major reasons the share of women working in the United States has fallen behind other developed countries is the lack of paid family leave, according to research by Cornell University economists.
Mr. Trump’s embrace of paid leave would apply only to mothers, as opposed to Mrs. Clinton’s plan, which would cover both parents. Some economists say that when leave is offered only to women, it can backfire by lowering women’s chances of being hired and promoted, and getting raises. Mr. Trump’s embrace of paid leave would apply only to mothers, as opposed to Mrs. Clinton’s plan, which would cover both parents.
Some economists say that when leave is offered only to women, it can backfire by lowering women’s chances of being hired and promoted and getting raises.
Ms. Labaton expressed skepticism about the proposal “coming less than 60 days before Election Day,” deriding it as “a naked attempt to court women voters while not actually offering up much by way of genuine support.”Ms. Labaton expressed skepticism about the proposal “coming less than 60 days before Election Day,” deriding it as “a naked attempt to court women voters while not actually offering up much by way of genuine support.”