Courtney Crowder | USA TODAY
In Kansas City, Missouri, Ivanka Trump engaged deeply with parents, daycare operators, and business leaders, meticulously noting their experiences concerning the search for affordable child care solutions. This roundtable was the seventh of its kind that year, underscoring her sustained focus on this critical issue.
Child care providers voiced concerns about the administrative burdens of assisting parents with subsidy and grant applications, which detracts from their primary responsibility of educating children. Parents highlighted the daunting expenses of child care, often forcing one parent to forgo employment and stay home. Employers, especially those operating across multiple shifts, pointed out the incompatibility of traditional child care schedules with diverse work patterns.
Throughout the hour-long discussion, Ivanka Trump remained an attentive listener, filling pages with notes while posing few direct questions or comments. This approach—characterized by understated public appearances coupled with intensive private deliberation—epitomizes her strategy in addressing two key policy areas: paid family leave and affordable child care. Since joining Washington in 2017 as an advisor to her father, President Donald Trump, she has largely operated behind the scenes, eschewing media fanfare to focus on policy advancement.
Despite securing notable achievements like the expansion of the child tax credit in the 2017 tax law, Trump acknowledges the significant journey ahead. “It’s a travesty that we are the only country in the developed world without a policy to support parents and families,” Trump stated, reflecting on the urgency for national action. “It’s an area that we just needed to do better, and we fought to do better.”
In discussions with the USA TODAY Network, Trump elaborated on the complexities hindering the progress of federal paid leave and affordable child care initiatives. These obstacles include resistance from powerful business lobbies against federal mandates or tax implications, and persistent societal views prioritizing stay-at-home mothers, which affects broader public and political will.
Explore the full scope: America’s ongoing struggle for paid family leave and affordable child care.
Despite these significant headwinds, insiders suggest a growing bipartisan urgency in Congress to address paid parental leave and affordable child care. Trump noted a positive shift towards policy debate and solution exploration across party lines, a stark contrast to the political landscape of just two years prior.
However, reaching a consensus remains challenging, with substantial disagreements on the specifics of leave and care policies and their funding mechanisms. “I love the fact that we’re now in a moment where policies are being debated and compared against one another,” Trump commented, emphasizing the progress made in initiating national dialogue. “That wasn’t true two years ago.”
The Evolving Needs of Working Mothers and the Imperative for U.S. Policy Adaptation
In her Washington D.C. office, surrounded by family photographs, Trump articulated her view that the current American child care framework is “not sustainable.” She detailed the pressures on families struggling to afford quality care, caregivers earning inadequate wages, and the inherently challenging economics of child care businesses characterized by thin profit margins and substantial liabilities.
The American economic landscape has dramatically transformed in recent decades, with working mothers now a firmly established and growing segment of the workforce. Department of Labor statistics indicate that approximately 47% of the workforce is female. Trump argues that the U.S. can no longer afford to maintain the status quo and must adapt its policies to reflect this “new reality.”
“Whether it’s by choice or by necessity, we need to support this new reality,” she asserted, highlighting the critical need for policy evolution.
The Strain on American Mothers: Understanding the challenges faced by working mothers today.
A significant source of opposition to federal intervention in child care costs, as identified by the USA TODAY team, comes from segments of American society who believe in traditional family structures with mothers primarily as caregivers at home. Concerns about funding child care for other families and potentially incentivizing parental work over child-rearing at home underpin this viewpoint, which is often associated with conservative ideologies.
These deeply rooted attitudes contribute to legislative inertia on Capitol Hill. However, Ivanka Trump has notably shifted from traditional conservative stances that typically oppose federal mandates.
Upon arriving in Washington, she recognized the prevailing resistance to legislative change. Consequently, she prioritized educating lawmakers and government officials, challenging entrenched perspectives with updated data on the benefits of paid leave and affordable child care programs.
“I think for a long time, people had grown rather complacent,” she reflected. “There was no effort to educate colleagues across the aisle on the merit of supporting the policies advanced. So nothing’s going to move.”
Trump points to the doubling of the child tax credit, increasing it from $1,000 to $2,000 and expanding eligibility for refunds, as a major achievement. Additionally, she noted the administration’s successful lobbying for a 40% increase in state child care block grant funding.
Presidential Candidate Perspectives: Insights from 2020 candidates on paid leave and child care proposals.
Corporate America’s Role and the Urgency for Broader Adoption
Ivanka Trump’s commitment to paid leave and affordable child care is deeply personal, stemming from her own experiences as a working mother. Yet, in her advisory role, she frames these issues within the broader context of America’s economic competitiveness—essential for attracting and retaining a robust and inclusive workforce.
“Child care is an undisputed work-related expense for most of America’s working families,” she emphasized during the Kansas City roundtable, underscoring its economic relevance.
Historically, the business sector has been a significant impediment to the realization of paid family leave and comprehensive affordable child care solutions, according to policy experts.
Trump acknowledges that while companies have shown some receptiveness to discussions, many still primarily view paid leave as a perk for talent acquisition and retention, rather than a fundamental right for all American workers.
Despite a growing trend of companies offering paid leave, Trump believes, “corporate America has been too slow to adopt meaningful reforms.”
She advocates for a nationwide solution, particularly emphasizing the needs of small businesses that often lack the financial capacity to offer extensive paid leave policies.
“If you have six employees and you have two or three who go out on leave … it’s not sustainable,” she explained, arguing for the necessity of a federal framework. “Which is why I think we need a federal policy.”
The American Work-Life Balance: Examining the tensions between professional demands and personal life in America.
Legislative Imperative: Defining Success Through Policy Enactment
Ivanka Trump envisions her role in these policy debates as akin to a symphony conductor, harmonizing diverse voices—Republicans, Democrats, and the business community—to achieve a cohesive policy outcome.
She clarifies that the White House’s role is not to legislate directly but to champion presidential priorities and mediate constructive dialogue among lawmakers to pave the way for legislative progress.
While no specific bills bear her name, the President’s 2020 budget proposal offers insights into the administration’s preferred policy directions.
Regarding paid leave, the budget proposes encouraging states to provide six weeks of paid leave for new parents, funded through mechanisms similar to unemployment insurance. Trump has indicated that this is a preliminary proposal, and the White House is open to considering various congressional proposals with realistic pathways to enactment.
For child care, the budget requests “a one-time, mandatory investment of $1 billion” targeted at “underserved populations.” Modeled on the Child Care and Development Block Grant program, this initiative would enable states to apply for funding to support business-led consortia in establishing child care facilities for their employees, as detailed in a White House fact sheet.
Trump emphasizes that these proposals are intended to stimulate discussion and build momentum for action.
“I don’t want to disparage any policy ideas,” she stated. “I want to encourage people to come to the table, including people who have championed other policies and say, ‘These are fresh ideas. Let’s debate them.’”
Despite her optimism about the progress made, Trump unequivocally states, “I will have viewed my work as a failure if we don’t pass legislation.”
The enactment of laws addressing paid leave and affordable child care is, ultimately, why she transitioned from her business career in New York to public service in Washington.
“I changed the trajectory of my personal life because I care about supporting the president as he seeks to better the lives of others and give back to a country that’s given so much to us,” she concluded.
“That’s truly all I care about, which is why I’m willing to put in the elbow grease.”
Follow Courtney Crowder on Twitter: @CourtneyCare
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