Andy Sullivan, Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – The $1.75 trillion Social-Policy Bill by President Joe Biden offers billions in subsidies for child care, and pre-kindergarten expansion. However, millions of children may be locked out if Republican governors decide not to take advantage of the money.

Congress has passed the “Build Back Better” package. This provides for $390 billion nationwide in pre-kindergarten funding and subsidized childcare, with states having to contribute up to 40%. The costs could go up further if Congress doesn’t extend these two programs before they expire in 2028.

It could cause problems for conservative states, who are reluctant or unable to pay safety-net program costs. However, the greatest per-capita benefits to those states would be shared with poor Republican-led ones like Mississippi and West Virginia.

Matt Bruenig of the Left-Leaning People’s Policy Project said, “We’re discussing about completely overhauling, disrupting, and transforming the entire system for childcare and pre-K.” He is advocating for a greater federal role.

This is not the first time Republican-led States have resisted a federal program out of concern over government cost overreach and costs. Many did it when many states rejected federal funding worth billions to help expand Medicaid for the poor. This was in response to President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declared this month, “The Biden administration wants insert itself in the most intimate family decisions. They want to tell parents how they care for their toddlers.”

Republicans opposed the Build back Better bill. Democrats are trying to pass it by a simple party vote.

Biden’s plan provides more subsidies for childcare to low income states and states that have higher child poverty rates. According to Reuters analysis, this formula benefits Republican-leaning state. https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-BIDEN/zjvqkwmmrvx

In the three-year program’s first year, states with higher incomes and child poverty rates would receive more per capita. This was to improve childcare network access and increase accessibility to subsidised childcare. The Reuters analysis shows that states voting for Donald Trump would receive $4,600 each for children under 6 years old, while Biden-voting states would be able to get $3,600.

West Virginia and Mississippi both supported Trump would be awarded the highest per-capita amounts. New Mexico would receive the largest amount of all states who backed Biden.

PRIVATE REJECTION

A minimum of one state pulled out recently from federal money due to ideological concerns.

The Idaho Republican-led legislature rejected $6 million of federal funding for early childhood education earlier this year. Conservative legislators expressed concern that the money could encourage women to leave the house and promote liberal views on race relations.

Biden’s supporter of Biden’s child-care plans warn that the state may not be able to buy in.

Beth Oppenheimer is the executive director of the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.

If states do not want to take part, the measure offers a Plan B. Local governments can work with federal officials to create programs.

As a first step towards gaining approval from both Senate and House, the Democrat-led House of Representatives intends to vote on Friday on the proposed plan. The goal is to provide universal schooling for children 3-4 and to subsidize childcare for the majority of families who have children below 6.

States will be eligible for federal funding for programs that are in operation. However, they must start paying some of it within a few year. Pre-K and child-care subsidies could cost as high as 40%.

The legislation was originally intended to keep federal subsidies in effect for longer. It was modified by centrist lawmakers, who thought the $3.5 trillion original price was too steep.

States like Florida or Vermont that have strong pre-K programs would likely be more open to participation than Idaho and South Dakota which have to start programs. Angela Rachidi from the conservative American Enterprise Institute, senior fellow in poverty studies, stated, “States with robust pre-K programs would make it much easier for them to join.”

Rachidi who is against the Biden plan stated that “States have differing budgets and funding priorities”.

Advocates note that many Republican-led state have already implemented pre-K programs, while some other states such as Arkansas or Alabama use federal coronavirus aid for expanding their early-childhood programs.