WASHINGTON – The American Families Plan that President Joe Biden unveiled Wednesday promises to subsidize child care, make community college and prekindergarten free and give tax credits to families.
But the $1.8 trillion plan Biden celebrated during a prime time address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, and now faces pushback from Republicans, contains billions for other programs like free school lunches, training for teachers and funding for students attending historically Black colleges and universities, among others.
Here's what's in the plan and how it stacks up to Biden's two other big proposals during his first 100 days in office.
What are Biden's 3 plans up to now
Biden has laid out three big initiatives to boost the economy, create jobs, and restructure the nation’s social safety net. Together, the three initiatives come with a hefty price tag: $6 trillion.
- The American Rescue Plan, which became law in March, is an economic package intended to provide relief to Americans and businesses still reeling from the financial hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic. A small part of the plan was paid for by cutting other expenses such as further limiting the tax deductions corporations can take for compensation paid to their executives.
- The American Jobs Plan, introduced at the end of March, is a sweeping development package to improve the nation’s aging infrastructure, fight climate change and create jobs. Biden proposes to pay for the plan in part through a number of taxes on corporations.
- The American Families Plan calls for investing billions of dollars into programs such as child care, paid family leave and education. To pay for part of it, the proposal would raise taxes on the wealthy and close loopholes that enable the rich to avoid paying taxes.
Family leave and child care
Under the plan, workers would be eligible for partial employment assistance for three months so they can stay home with a child, rehabilitate from an illness, care for a loved one with a disability or deal with other emergencies. Up to $4,000 per month would be available in paid leave for people who participate.
Low-income and middle-class parents with children ages 5 and younger would be eligible for assistance to cover child care costs. The program would pay for all child care costs of the neediest families. Those who earn 1.5 times their state median income would pay no more than 7% of their income on child care.
In addition, Biden wants to extend free and reduced lunches through the summer for 29 million low-income children and expand free meals to children in high-poverty areas.
Education
Biden proposes free prekindergarten for all three- and four-year-olds regardless of their families' incomes.
The White House estimates the program would benefit 5 million children and save the average family $13,000.
Biden also wants to make community college free. First-time students and workers in participating states would pay no money for two years of community college to earn a degree or credential. Biden also proposes making college affordable for more students of color by offering an additional $1,400 in Pell grant assistance to low-income students and boosting another grant program to improve college completion rates for low-income students.
In addition, Biden wants to offer at least two years of subsidized tuition for students enrolled in four-year historically Black colleges and universities if their families earn less than $125,000 a year. He also proposes additional spending to train teachers, address teacher shortages and diversify the teaching workforce.
Tax credits
Tax credits would be available to benefit low-income and middle-class Americans under the proposal.
A child tax credit expanded as part of the American Rescue Plan would be extended until 2025. That bill boosted the credit from $2,000 per child to $3,000 for each child age 6 and older and $3,600 for children under age 6.
Biden's plan would also permanently extend a tax credit that families can use to lower health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act, as well as the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit that can be applied to child care for children under age 13.
Biden also would set a $15 minimum wage for early childhood care staff and ensure that those with similar qualifications, such as kindergarten teachers, receive comparable compensation.
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