Biden to propose $775 billion child care, elder care plan, funded largely by wealthy real estate investors


Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will unveil a sweeping proposal Tuesday to help families pay for child care for children 4 and under, in-home elder care for aging parents, and long-term care for the disabled. The plan, estimated to cost $775 billion over 10 years, would also fund 150,000 public health care worker jobs. "If we truly want to reward work in this country, we have to ease the financial burden of care that families are carrying, and we have to elevate the compensation, benefits, training, and education opportunities for certification, and dignity of caregiving workers and educators," Biden's campaign said.
Biden's "21st Century Caregiving and Education Workforce" plan follows major proposals on green energy and Buy American economics. It would provide universal child care to 3- and 4-year-olds, fund new child care centers, work to clear the backlog of in-home elder and disabled care requests, and help caregivers get better pay and education, among other planks.
Biden's campaign said only that the proposal "will be paid for by rolling back unproductive and unequal tax breaks for real estate investors with incomes over $400,000 and taking steps to increase tax compliance for high-income earners." A senior campaign official told Bloomberg News that Biden's administration would specifically target "like-kind exchanges," which let investors defer taxes by reinvesting commercial real estate sales in another property, and also stop investors from using real estate losses to slash their income tax bills.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Unlike President Trump, "I know how hard it is to be a single dad who has to work with two young sons at home," Biden said last month. "I know what it means to bring your aging parent into your home to take care of them in their final years. I've done both. And it's hard. And it's hard for millions of Americans who are just trying to make ends meet."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
June 15 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include FEMA folding, a Father's Day card for Elon Musk, and new lyrics to the "Marines' Hymn"
-
5 worm-ridden cartoons about RFK. Jr and the CDC
Cartoons Artists take on vaccine advisers, medical quackery, and more
-
Will 2027 be the year of the AI apocalypse?
A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores