President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Trump,

As moms and supporters of families across the United States, we are writing to urge you to prioritize affordable child care as part of your administration’s efforts to strengthen the economy and support working families.

You and Vice President Vance were elected on the promise to address the high cost of living, and child care costs are at the top of the list — outpacing rent, groceries, and inflation for working families. Alarmingly, 55% of parents are going into debt just to afford child care. Relief can’t wait.

We understand there may be many opportunities to invest in child care this year, but the upcoming tax policy bill is the first and most significant. Yet members of the House Budget Committee are already proposing to cut the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), which is the only tax credit for child care, a credit that is already inadequate — just $600 per year for most families when child care costs more than $11,000 annually.

Cutting the only tax credit for child care is out of step with what the overwhelming majority of American voters want. Recent polling shows almost 79% of American voters support increasing tax credits for child care, including 75% of Republicans, 78% of Independents, and 85% of Democrats. In fact, a stunning 84% of voters think Congress should do something to make child care more affordable, including 78% of Republicans, 82% of Independents, and 91% of Democrats.

Instead of cutting the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), we ask that you modernize it, ensuring it can fulfill its role and help working families afford child care. We believe Congress should:

• Make the CDCTC fully refundable, enabling low-income families to receive the full benefit.
• Increase the credit rate and maximum credit to provide families with more meaningful support.
• Index the maximum credit for eligible expenses to inflation, ensuring the credit keeps pace with rising child care costs over time.

Many advocates also talk about the Child Tax Credit (CTC) as a benefit to help families. It’s important to understand that the CDCTC and CTC support families in different ways and that families need both.

As you begin your term, we respectfully ask that you make child care a top priority in your first 100 days. By including tax cuts for child care and updates to the CDCTC in the upcoming tax bill, you can deliver on your promises, demonstrate your commitment to working families, and set our nation on a path toward a stronger future.