Childcare is A Critical Economic Issue

Floor Speech

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Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because, for too long, women in our workforce have struggled with almost insurmountable childcare issues. Due to our lack of investment, our economy has lost too many talented women as they try to juggle the demands of work and childcare.

After gaining significant ground in the seventies, eighties, and nineties, and expanding our workforce, and increasing our GDP in the process, women have not made significant gains in the workforce in the last two decades. Two decades where women faced economic penalties when they were forced to leave the workforce due to lack of quality and affordable child care. Two decades where, if we had just kept pace with some of our allies, we would have grown our GDP by another $600 billion.

I rise today because women falling behind is the American middle class falling behind. Penalizing women in the workforce penalizes families and imperils opportunities for our children. And this crisis has been made exponentially worse by COVID.

That is why I am calling on all my colleagues to support legislation to ensure all families have access to quality and affordable childcare. Congress needs to realize this is not simply a women's issue or a children's issue. This is a critical economic issue.

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