Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is rolling out his free universal child care plan.
The Vermont senator and 2020 Democratic frontrunner on Monday said that as president, he will "guarantee every child in America free full-day, full-week, high-quality child care from infancy through age three, regardless of income" and also guarantee "every child access to a full-day, full-week pre-kindergarten education regardless of income, starting at age 3."
The Sanders campaign said that under his plan, child care will be provided at least 10 hours a day and "at times to serve parents who work non-traditional hours." The program, according to the proposal, will cost the federal government $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, paid for by Sanders' tax on the "extreme wealth" of the top 0.1 percent of households. The government will set "quality standards" under the plan.
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"Our current child care and early education system in the United States is an international embarrassment," the Sanders campaign said.
Bloomberg notes that Sanders' plan joins the $700 billion plan from fellow presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), which details a proposal to provide free child care for low-income families and charge others based on their ability to pay.
Sanders previously spoke about his universal child care plan in an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday, brushing off a question from Anderson Cooper suggesting it's not "clear" how his proposed programs will be funded.
"It is clear how it's going to be paid for," Sanders said. "...It's taxes on billionaires."
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