News

Actions

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Ivanka Trump working to make child care affordable

Posted at 11:06 AM, Jan 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-01 11:06:47-05

Rep. Marsha Blackburn says she has been discussing legislation to make child care more affordable for working Americans with the President-elect’s daughter,

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 20: Ivanka Trump (R), daughter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, meets with (L-R) Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and other women GOP members of Congress at the Republican National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill September 20, 2016 in Washington, DC. In an effort to reach out to women voters, Trump met with the female politicians to promote her father's proposals on child care. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 20: Ivanka Trump meets with (L-R) Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) at the RNC headquarters in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Ivanka Trump.

“I am delighted to see that we’re looking at options for tax credits, tax incentives, ways for moms and dads to be able to write-off this child-care cost,” Blackburn told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” which aired Sunday.

“One of the things that is most troubling as a mom in the workforce is finding child care and being certain that your children are safe and well cared for and not feeling like they are going to miss out on things because you put yourself on the guilt bus,” she added.

The Tennessee Republican, who owns a small business, said she had concerns about child care as she was raising her kids.

“It was so very difficult. It’s one of the things I struggled with as my children were growing up,” she said.

President-elect Donald Trump’s daughter met this fall with members of Congress to discuss child care legislation before the election. The business mogul has said he would attempt to make child care expenses tax deductible for families earning less than $500,000. Trump also called for establishing tax-free accounts to be used for child care and child enrichment activities.

Blackburn told Tapper she backed those proposals.

“You want to know your children are well cared for,” she said. “And there ought to be a way to have a savings account that you can start saving from on day one to help with those costs, because you know, it’s important to your life/work balance and the life of your family.”