[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 56 (Thursday, May 7, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H2994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONGRESS MUST ACT ON CHILD CARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, it is time for this Congress to act and 
provide early childhood development, quality child care and after-
school programs for the children of this country.
  In January, President Clinton announced his child care initiative and 
asked the Congress to provide $20 billion over the next 5 years in 
support of the largest single investment in child care in this Nation's 
history. The President's proposal would help working families pay for 
child care, build the number of quality after-school programs, improve 
the safety and quality of care, and promote early childhood learning 
and early childhood development.
  I am proud of the fact and proud of the President's initiative to 
establish an early learning fund, to strengthen early childhood 
development and support for parents, is based on legislation introduced 
in this House by myself and my colleagues, the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. 
Morella).

                              {time}  1715

  Last month, President Clinton again asked the Congress to put aside 
partisan differences and act on his call for new investments in child 
care but, sadly, the Republican leadership in this House has done 
nothing, absolutely nothing, to respond to that call.
  Mr. Speaker, today, more than ever, America's parents are working. 
Three out of 5 mothers with children under age 6 work outside the home. 
Fathers and mothers must spend more hours at the workplace than past 
generations of parents, putting greater strain on the family to provide 
quality child care, especially for infants and toddlers 3 years and 
younger. Yet somehow this Congress last failed to act and, in my 
opinion, has neglected the needs of American working families.
  Now, we are always told that money cannot be found, but over one-
third of the funds required to fund the President's entire initiative 
was to be provided by comprehensive tobacco legislation. That funding 
was targeted to include not only the strengthening of child care and 
early childhood programs but investments in medical research and the 
education and training of quality child care providers. But the 
leadership in this Congress has rejected these initiatives time and 
time again and turned their backs on America's children and working 
families. Instead they chose to embrace big tobacco companies and the 
campaign funding they pour into Republican coffers.
  Last month, a new Rand study found money spent to give children from 
modest-income and disadvantaged families a good start results in 
greatly reduced government costs later for remedial education, welfare, 
health care, and incarceration. In February, more than 170 police 
chiefs, sheriffs, and prosecutors called on the Federal Government to 
increase support for quality child care and education for preschoolers, 
as well as after-school programs for older children. These American law 
enforcement officials endorsed the President's child care initiative 
and described its approval as one of the most important steps Congress 
could take to fight crime.
  The message is clear: The benefits to government and society of 
comprehensive child care, parent training, and early learning and 
development programs are measurable and far cheaper to provide than 
trying to rehabilitate young people who have gone astray. Simply put: 
An ounce of prevention can prevent tons of costly cures later on. Yet 
the Republican leadership in this Congress remains callous and 
indifferent to these urgent calls for action.
  Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, just 2 days ago, OMB Director Franklin 
Raines stated clearly that the administration would not be able to find 
alternative sources of funding for these initiatives if Congress failed 
to enact comprehensive tobacco legislation. In spite of bipartisan 
bills awaiting action in both bodies of Congress that would provide 
comprehensive tobacco legislation and funding for these critical 
initiatives, the Republican leadership in the House, in particular, has 
rejected any tobacco legislation that would channel funds toward child 
care.
  The Republican leadership has turned its back on children, on working 
families, on the struggles confronting the mothers and fathers of this 
country, and it is a very ugly gift for this Sunday's Mother's Day.
  I want the President to know that there are many Members in this 
Congress who believe that it is critical to enact tobacco legislation 
and to target part of those revenues for child care and after-school 
programs, and I call upon the Speaker and the leadership of this House 
to listen to the voices of mothers and fathers, community leaders, and 
child care providers that Congress must act on child care today.

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