Sen. Elizabeth Warren told New Hampshire Democrats on Friday that she proposed a universal child care plan because no American family should experience the desperation she did as a working mother to find safe, reliable, quality child care.
"We're the richest country in the history of the planet," Warren told a room of about 1,000 people in Manchester at the state Democratic Party's biggest fundraiser. "Access to high-quality care and education during the first five years of a child's life shouldn't be a privilege reserved for the rich. It should be a right for every child."
The Massachusetts senator delivered her remarks during her second visit to the state since announcing her presidential bid.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley acknowledge applause at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's 60th Annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)
Warren would pay for universal child care with a 2 percent tax annually on households' net worth greater than $50 million. Under the plan, no family would pay more than 7 percent of its income for child care, and families earning below 200 percent of the federal poverty line — about $51,000 a year for a family of four — would pay nothing.
Warren said her plan would give all families access to the kind of child care the federal government currently provides military families.
"When a working family here in New Hampshire is paying a quarter of their income to cover child care, a Republican-controlled Congress decided it was more important to pass a trillion-dollar giveaway to the wealthiest and giant corporations," Warren said, referring to the 2017 tax overhaul.
Local communities would oversee their child care, preschool and in-home providers under Warren's plan, but they would be held to national standards. Warren said her plan would benefit women especially because they, more often than men, give up jobs and careers when families can't find child care.
Earlier this week, Warren said she supports reparations for black Americans who have been affected by slavery. Warren addressed race in her speech Friday but didn't speak specifically about reparations. She said black families in America have been disadvantaged by "structural racism" and have only $5 in wealth for every $100 in wealth owned by the average white family.
"Race matters and we need to say so," she said.
In response to media questions after her remarks, Warren said she would support reparations for many minority groups, including Native Americans. She has been criticized for claiming Native American identity early in her career and apologized recently to the Cherokee Nation for releasing DNA test results as evidence she had Native American in her bloodline, albeit at least six generations back.
"America has an ugly history of racism. We need to confront it head on, and we need to talk about the right way to address it and make change," Warren said. Asked whether she would include Native Americans in her support for reparations for black Americans affected by slavery, Warren said, "I think it's a part of the conversation. It's an important part of the conversation."
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced Monday he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders.
Hailing from a Democratic stronghold, Sanders' decision virtually guarantees that he will return to Washington for a fourth Senate term. And his announcement comes at a critical moment for Democrats as the party navigates a growing divide over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
Sanders has criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the U.S. relationship with Israel even as he's hailed much of Biden's domestic agenda ahead of what could be a tough reelection fight for Biden against presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Sanders said he wants the war in Gaza ended immediately, massive humanitarian aid to follow and no more money sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"We are living in a complicated and difficult political moment," Sanders told The Associated Press on Monday. “I very strongly disagree with Biden in terms of the war in Gaza.”
At home, he said, the presidential election is between Biden and Trump, “and Donald Trump is in my view the most dangerous president, has been the most dangerous president in American history.”
With the prospect of Trump's possible return to the White House, Sanders framed his bid to return to the Senate as being driven by concerns about the future of democracy in the U.S. In an announcement video, he said that in many ways the 2024 election “is the most consequential election in our lifetimes.”
“Will the United States continue to even function as a democracy, or will we move to an authoritarian form of government?” he said. He questioned whether the country will reverse what he called “the unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality” and if it can create a government that works for all, and not continue with a political system dominated by wealthy campaign contributors.
Known for his liberal politics and crusty demeanor, Sanders has been famously consistent over his 40 years in politics, championing better health care paid for by the government, higher taxes for the wealthy, less military intervention and major solutions for climate change. He has also spent his career trying to hold corporate executives to account, something that he’s had more power to do as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Sanders is an independent. He was a Democratic congressman for 16 years and still caucuses with the Democrats.
He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He said a year ago that he would forgo another presidential bid and endorse Biden’s reelection this year.
“I have been, and will be if re-elected, in a strong position to provide the kind of help that Vermonters need in these difficult times,” Sanders said in a review of his positions as chairman of the important Senate panel and a member of the chamber's Democratic leadership team, as well as a senior member of various other committees.
AP writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed from Washington.
FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he addresses Unite Here Local 11 workers holding a rally, April 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
