Bill Cassidy

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy has recently introduced a sweeping rewrite of the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which helps working families access child care. His proposal won’t fix the child care crisis; it would make it significantly worse.

The drafted bill would cut the eligibility period in half, from 12 months to just six; eliminate protections providers rely on to keep their doors open; strip states of the flexibility needed to serve families efficiently; and deny coverage to children who are U.S. citizens if their parents don’t have immigration status.

Cassidy is calling this an “anti-fraud” package. Make no mistake: Childcare is already one of the most regulated and closely monitored programs in the country. In Louisiana, providers are required to undergo regular inspections, perform annual audits and report all spending to the federal government. There has been no evidence of significant or widespread fraud.

What there is overwhelming evidence of is that childcare is severely underfunded, providers aren’t paid enough and families are being left behind. More than 7,000 children are currently on a waitlist. Most childcare workers make less than $15 an hour in a state where the current sustainable wage for a family with two working parents and two children is $23/hour per adult.

The families who cannot find or afford childcare and the providers struggling to make payroll in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport and every parish in between are Cassidy’s constituents. He should withdraw this bill. He should listen to the nearly 200 organizations and the millions of families they represent who are telling him clearly that this is not the solution.