We have people that are willing and able to work, but finding child care was an obstacle.”Republicans historically have been lukewarm about using taxpayer money for child care, even as they have embraced prekindergarten. Nebraska and Indiana have both pitched programs to make child care free for child care workers. Child care advocates say the investments are not enough and called on Congress to authorize a new round of money to keep the child care industry afloat. GOP resistance to child care spending dates to the 1970s, when President Richard Nixon vetoed a bill to establish a national child care system, invoking fears of communism and saying it had “family-weakening implications.” Many of those arguments persist. But during the pandemic, many child care workers left the industry for better-paying jobs, and some child care centers closed for good, exacerbating the problem.

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Persons: Emily O'Brien, Lennon, O'Brien, Jolene, Doug Burgum's, ” O'Brien, —, Mike Parson, Brenda Shields, ” Shields, Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, Glenn Youngkin, Richard Nixon, “, Kristi Noem, ” Noem Organizations: Republican, Gov, Republicans, Democratic, Republican Gov, Pro, Virginia Gov, U.S . Chamber of Commerce Foundation, KWAT, Associated Press Locations: North Dakota, Forks, Bismarck, New Mexico, Vermont, Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Nebraska, Indiana, Idaho, U.S, South Dakota, Watertown , South Dakota, AP.org