NWI Times: Young claimed “the people of Indiana” will be upset” if he voted for childcare investments across Indiana

ICYMI: Young says he wants to “enrich” the childcare profession, but voted “NO” on investments on updated provider facilities and higher wages for workers 

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today criticized U.S. Senator Todd Young for his continued lip service he’s providing Hoosier families on the issue of childcare. Yesterday in LaPorte, Young said he expressed his opposition to President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda which would include investments to help solve Indiana’s childcare crisis, claiming “the people of Indiana will be upset” with him. Young sang a different tune two weeks ago, however, in Bloomington when he said it was time to “enrich” the childcare industry and eliminate deserts across Indiana. 

So, which is it? Does Todd Young support investments in childcare or not? The back-and-forth rhetoric is a long-standing problem for Young, because just this year alone, the Senator has flip-flopped on issues important to Hoosier families and the nation’s national security. 

In June, Todd Young was a part of a bipartisan coalition to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (BID). Then when it came to pass the BID, Young voted “NO”. 

In January, Todd Young also claimed to be a voice of reason following the January 6 Insurrection against the United States. But when it was time to create a nonpartisan commission to investigate the domestic terrorist attack, Young voted “NO”. 

“Todd Young is the partisan ‘yes boy’ of the national Republican Party, and anything he tells Hoosiers should be taken with a grain of salt — because he’s likely to vote the other way in Washington,” said Drew Anderson, spokesman of the Indiana Democratic Party. “Todd Young represents an Indiana Republican Party who would rather put their extreme partisanship and devotion to culture wars ahead of a better future for Hoosiers. Young voted ‘NO’ on broadband, roads, bridges, and clean water, and he’ll vote ‘NO’ on childcare investments for Indiana families.” 

In contrast, Indiana Democrats have delivered for Hoosier families and are now visiting small towns across the state to tout how the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, and overall Build Back Better agenda is creating a better future for rural Hoosiers. This includes childcare where the American Rescue Plan invested $540 million to help solve the current crisis facing service providers, workers, and Hoosier families who seek affordable childcare services. 

SHOT: Todd Young Opposes Childcare Investments Because “the People of Indiana will be upset” with him 

NWI Times: But, in the end, he could not join the 19 Senate Republicans and all 50 Democrats supporting the plan on final passage in August because Young believes it opened the door for congressional Democrats to consider enacting an even-larger “human infrastructure” spending measure that Young opposes even more vigorously. […]

“And if I ended up enabling the passage of a human infrastructure bill, the people of Indiana would be really upset with me.” […]

“The latest version of the proposal includes continuation of the $300 per child monthly federal income tax credit, federal assistance for child care expenses, more post-high school education and job training opportunities, expanded Medicare and Medicaid benefits, and incentives to speed the transition to clean energy, among other provisions.” […]

When asked whether he believes the child tax credit will enable more parents to stay home to take care of their kids, Young said: “We need to come up with smart solutions to allow them to take care of their kids.”

CHASER: Two Weeks Ago, Todd Young Calls to “Enrich” the Childcare Industry Across Indiana 

Bloomington Herald-Times: “When asked about rising child care costs and the impact of the pandemic on women, Young acknowledged problems. ‘This is a significant household expense, and it disproportionately affects women,’ Young said. ‘The main driver is workforce costs, driven by a shortage of qualified providers.’

He suggested shortages are partially due to misconceptions about the field of child care, with many people considering those workers ‘babysitters’ rather than members of ‘a genuine profession.’ Tackling that misconception while providing further opportunities for certification is how Young would attempt to ease the shortage of well-trained child care workers.

‘Child care should probably be some form of enriching, you know, early childhood education. And if we treat it as such, and then certify it, this is the important part, certify it,’ he said. ‘Give somebody a certificate when they go through a training program. You’ll start to have a larger market of child care providers.’”

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