FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2024
Contact: Daniela Perez, [email protected]
The Harris-Walz Campaign’s Economic Agenda Delivers on Care for Working Families
RALEIGH, NC —Today, the Harris-Walz campaign unveiled its economic agenda, positioning the care economy as a central pillar of its platform. Care in Action, the political home for women of color who care, is energized by the campaign’s commitment to supporting working families and fortifying the care infrastructure necessary for a thriving economy in 2025 and beyond.
Care in Action’s Executive Director, Hillary Holley, released the following statement:
“Care in Action has engaged in consistent conversations with care workers, caregivers, and working families about the complex kitchen-table issues impacting their ability to thrive. They’re not worried about stock market fluctuations but about surviving in an economy that hasn’t worked for them in a long time. Too often, they’re forced into impossible choices between putting food on the table or affording essential care for their children and aging and disabled loved ones. Today’s announcement from the Harris-Walz campaign offers renewed hope for a future where working families can access a robust infrastructure that prioritizes care, stability, and support.
Since becoming Vice President, Kamala Harris has championed these values throughout the Biden-Harris Administration, driving visible progress. With the Harris-Walz campaign, the commitment to finishing the job is clear. Our endorsement of Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz is rooted in their unwavering dedication to elevating working families and strengthening the care agenda. Harris and Walz bring lived and professional experience to the table, consistently advocating for working families and a more robust care economy.
Under an ‘opportunity economy, the proposed economic agenda outlines critical actions, such as reducing grocery prices, housing costs, healthcare expenses, and taxes. Most importantly, it includes provisions vital to the care agenda—like expanding paid leave and the child tax credit. This reaffirms that care is not just an issue for caregivers—it’s a cornerstone of our economic future.
In contrast, the Trump-Vance campaign has failed to provide any substantive plan to address the care crisis. On August 1, 2024, the Senate GOP blocked the expansion of the Child Tax Credit, a vital measure to support families, with Senator and Vice Presidential hopeful JD Vance notably absent from the vote. This neglect of care issues underscores their lack of commitment to supporting working families. Vance has also abandoned bipartisan negotiations on making childbirth more affordable and has opposed measures like universal childcare, which would benefit millions of families nationwide.
The data is clear: care matters to voters. Over 80% of Americans want policies that expand affordable home care options, and over 82% believe caregiving should be a legislative priority. Yet, while the Harris-Walz campaign commits to this, the Trump-Vance ticket has shown disregard for these urgent needs, threatening the well-being of millions of Americans. As Vice President Harris succinctly said, ‘If you want to know who someone cares about, look who they fight for.’ And Vice President Harris is fighting for working families.
Investing in care is critical to the stability of our economy. The care economy’s size, including unpaid and paid caregiving, is valued at up to $6 trillion—nearly a quarter of the total US GDP. Research forecasts that without a robust care infrastructure, the US could lose up to $290 billion annually in GDP by 2030 due to labor shortages in care jobs and the departure of productive employees forced to take on unpaid care duties. The Harris-Walz campaign understands that care jobs are the jobs of the future, with the home care workforce expected to add over a million new positions by 2031—more than any other occupation.
This November, we will witness the historic rise of women of color, working families, and a growing care electorate, taking these issues straight to the ballot box. The Harris-Walz campaign has our backs, and Care in Action will have theirs.”
Care in Action, a 501(c)(4) organization, was founded in 2016 at the request of domestic workers who knew they needed to build political power to advocate for dignity and fairness for this workforce.
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Care in Action is the policy and advocacy home for women who care, working on behalf of more than two million domestic workers and care workers across America. Among the fastest-growing sectors in our economy, domestic workers are also among the most vulnerable and undervalued. As a mostly women and majority women of color workforce, this growing constituency consistently and overwhelmingly supports progressive values in American political life. Learn more at www.careinaction.us.