At the Urging of Moms First and Nearly 15,000 Moms, CNN Asked the Candidates About Child Care at the First 2024 Presidential Debate -- but the Candidates Barely Answered

Moms First teamed up with partners to mobilize thousands of moms and allies to successfully urge CNN to ask about child care at the debate

NEW YORK, June 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, at the urging of Moms First and nearly 15,000 moms and allies, the presidential debate moderators asked the candidates about child care at the first debate of the 2024 election. In a victory for American families, CNN's Jake Tapper asked President Biden and former President Trump how they would lower child care costs for American families, citing a new report that found that the average cost of child care for two children is now higher than the average cost of rent in all 50 states.

 "For too long, child care has been seen as a personal issue that moms must solve on their own – not as an economic issue that is required for women to work. The reality is, the cost of child care — the cost of motherhood — has become untenable. And no family should be forced into debt to pay for child care," said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Moms First. "Last night, CNN made it clear that the voices of moms matter by asking the candidates about their plan to address child care costs. Moms First and the 15,000 moms who signed our petition successfully elevated child care to the national stage. Now, we need our candidates to actually answer us."

Saujani: "When asked directly about their plans to lower child care costs, both candidates spent the majority of the time bickering and only President Biden briefly addressed the question — leaving millions of moms and families out to dry. Moms First is disappointed that our presidential candidates failed to acknowledge the seriousness of our child care crisis and its impact on American mothers. As candidates vie for votes this election season, they should not underestimate the power of moms. We are a powerful constituency that cannot be ignored. And we deserve real, substantive solutions to this crisis." 

Moms First teamed up with Blue Star Families, Bobbie, Care.com, Count on Mothers, Equimundo, Fair Play Policy Institute, Happiest Baby, LIFT, National Association for Family Child Care, National Parents Union, Red Wine and Blue, ROE v BROS, The Mom Project, Share Our Strength, and Vivvi on the petition, demonstrating the power of collective action in our efforts to solve the child care crisis.

About Moms First
Moms First is a national, nonprofit organization transforming our workplaces, communities, and culture to enable moms to thrive. Our grassroots movement of 1.1 million moms and supporters is dedicated to changing the story of the American experience of motherhood and finishing the fight for gender equality in our country by winning the support that moms need and deserve, including child care, paid leave, and equal pay. Learn more at momsfirst.us.

SOURCE Moms First