American Families Plan

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for his work. We are indeed friends. We both were teachers, Mr. Bowman a principal. We are educators at heart.

To recover from one of the worst economic crises we have faced as a Nation, we must invest in families, our care economy, and our Nation's childcare.

For most American families, quality childcare and preschool are unaffordable. In Riverside County, where my district, the 41st District of California, is located, it is unavailable. My district is a childcare desert. My constituents do not have childcare locations available, even if eligible, to help them care for their children while they attend school or work.

It doesn't have to be this way, and it shouldn't be this way. In fact, we should use our path toward recovery as an opportunity to address the disparities communities like mine have been facing when it comes to affordable childcare options. The American Families Plan will secure universal access to preschool and will expand the supply of quality childcare options for all families.

Studies have proven that quality preschool will positively impact children's cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional development that is critical for their long-term success and mental health. If we are serious about investing in our children's education, we must provide universal preschool and affordable childcare for every child in need.

Investing in preschool and affordable childcare will not only help our children, but will also greatly benefit our workforce. As more preschools and childcare centers are available, more families can get back to work without worrying about their child's well-being.

This is our opportunity to help struggling families and take bold action to create a just and equitable post-COVID economy. I urge my colleagues to invest in our care economy by supporting the American Families Plan Act.

We just can't go back to the way things were before. We have to be bold and act with urgency to give families and parents access to the resources they need to help our country bounce back stronger than ever before.

Let me just close with a short anecdote, a short story. This happened on the weekend, the Friday before the Memorial Day weekend. I, as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, joined Secretary McDonough in a ceremony to honor our Nation's veterans at the Quantico cemetery. I met the commander of the base, who has responsibility not just for the Marine base that is there but also the FBI training center. There are a number of different facilities that are sort of associated with the base.

We just got in a chat, and I wasn't fishing for any sort of answers from him or any information. But I said: What has been your biggest challenge, in terms of reopening your base?

He said: Congressman, quite surprisingly to me, the biggest challenge has been childcare. That is what has held us back, and that has been my biggest challenge as a base commander.

I said: Do you think other base commanders across the country have had the same challenge?

He said: Yes.

This challenge of providing quality childcare and preschool is something that is really holding our road to recovery back, and it is slowing it down. The American Families Plan is a sound and substantive answer to meeting this challenge.

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