We are proud to announce the launch of the CREATIVE CARE COUNCIL! LEARN MORE
We are proud to announce the launch of the CREATIVE CARE COUNCIL! LEARN MORE
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 7, 2023)—In response to the 2023 State of the Union the Care Can’t Wait Coalition issued the following statement:
“President Joe Biden’s second State of the Union Address, once again, touched on the critical need for investing in care; our families and workers need quality child care, paid leave and aging and disability care, especially in the home and community. Care makes everything else possible in our nation. We applaud the President for continuing to highlight the caregiving support everyday families in this country desperately need, especially in times of economic uncertainty. Now, we demand Congress do their part.
On Feb. 28, care advocates, caregivers, and celebrities will deliver a petition to members of Congress signed by tens of thousands of Americans urging them to prioritize care immediately. The petition calls for universal access to child care, home and community-based services for older adults and disabled people, good pay and benefits for care workers, and the creation of a robust federal paid family and medical leave program to be top priorities for Congress this year. A better care system will ensure that care workers, family caregivers, older adults, and disabled people are no longer left behind.
Care is the foundation of our economy. But for far too long, the essential work of unpaid family caregivers and underpaid care workers has been ignored and passed over, with a lack of necessary federal investments. A fully financed care infrastructure is not only critical to our economic resilience but is also key to building a sustainable future where all working families can thrive. By closing loopholes and ensuring that the extremely wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, we can fund these critical investments. Investing in all three pillars of the care economy — child care, paid leave, and home and community based services — is what people across the country need and deserve.
Until these needed investments are achieved, the Care Can’t Wait Coalition, care advocates, and caregivers will continue to raise the alarm around the unabating care crisis in this country. We urge legislators to make 2023 the year of care.”
More information about the Feb. 28 petition delivery event can be found here.
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CARE CAN’T WAIT is a coalition of organizations, stakeholders and advocates committed to building a comprehensive, 21st century care infrastructure — that means robust investments to expand access to childcare, paid family and medical leave (PFML), and home- and community-based services (HCBS), and ensure good jobs for the care workforce. The coalition is led by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); Be A Hero; Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy; Caring Across Generations; Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); Closing the Women’s Wealth Gap; Community Change & Economic Security Project Community Change; Family Values @ Work; MomsRising; National Domestic Workers Alliance; National Partnership for Women & Families; National Women’s Law Center; Paid Leave for All; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Supermajority; The Arc; and ZERO TO THREE.