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