A Conversation with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Engage: You and your fellow senator are both parents. Your children are at different phases of your lives, but you obviously have had to juggle both child care and your working lives. How has that inspired your commitment to this issue?
Senator Kaine: My children are adults now, but 20 years ago, my wife Anne and I navigated a very challenging situation in Richmond. Even for those with means, finding high-quality, affordable child care was really difficult because the supply was low. When I became governor of Virginia, I worked to address that issue by making expanding early childhood education a top priority. But particularly during COVID, many dedicated child care professionals were driven out of the industry, and now every community I go to in Virginia tells me about the need for more child care options. That’s why I’ve been so vocal about the need for Congress to do more to address this crisis.
Engage: Your package includes two separate bills—one that addresses the cost of child care, but just as importantly, one that tackles the crisis in having enough people working in the child care workforce. How does your legislation seek to address this tremendous shortage?
Senator Kaine: It’s clear from my conversations with parents and dedicated child care professionals that we won’t solve the child care crisis without increasing supply and making it possible for workers to stay in the industry. The Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act together form a bold bipartisan proposal that would leverage existing tax credits to help families cover the cost of child care services, while also boosting child care worker pay to increase supply and reduce turnover.
“It’s clear from my conversations with parents and dedicated child care professionals that we won’t solve the child care crisis without increasing supply and making it possible for workers to stay in the industry.”
Engage: Polling shows overwhelming bipartisan support for new child care policies. Do you believe that 2025 offers a unique opportunity to find bipartisanship on this issue, which is so important to working families?
Senator Kaine: Yes. This is an issue that impacts every community, and I’m looking forward to working with Senator Britt to get our bills across the finish line so we can provide Americans with the support they need.
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