Chris Murphy in 2020s senatorial press release

On Families & Children: Affordable child care in the richest country in the world

When you are living on a more modest salary, your entire world could fall apart if you lose access to a quality child care environment. People have to quit their jobs. They have to move back in with their parents. Because you will upend your entire life for your child.

Murphy laid out just how dire affording child care can be: "Let's say a family makes $42,000, doesn't qualify for our subsidy, is spending $22,000 a year on rent, $15,000 a year on childcare, that's $5,000 left. $100 a week for everything else. For food, for your cell phone, for your clothes for your kid. In the richest, most affluent country in the world, how can we justify leaving families who are doing the right thing, who are working in that position?"

Murphy concluded: "Do the right thing and support the President's proposed plan to support affordable, quality child care in this country."

On Welfare & Poverty: Raise $41,500 salary limit for subsidized childcare

That delivers an enormous harm to families but also to our workforce. I met a young woman and she's got a very young child. They are on the waitlist for a subsidized child care slot. She can't get into the workforce. Why? Because she has to stay home to take care of her young child.

In Connecticut, we have a program called Care for Kids. This program gives lower income families some subsidy so that they can afford child care. But that program cuts off for a one child family at $41,500 a year in income. Now that's a lower middle income salary in Connecticut.