Donald Trump unveiled a new proposal for childcare and maternity leave in a speech on Tuesday in Pennsylvania. His plan is a departure from orthodox Republican policy, and takes a different approach from previous Republican nominees.
Trump claims that his proposal will help working parents, providing six weeks of paid maternity leave and expanded tax credits for child care, The New York Times reports. According to the Times, the objective is to provide six weeks of paid maternity leave for new mothers whose employers do not currently provide coverage. The plan will not cover dads who want to stay home with their kids.
“Those in leadership must put themselves in the shoes of the laid-off factory worker, the family worried about security or the mom struggling to afford child care,” Trump said in his speech.
“This must change. As a society we need to create policies that champion all parents, enabling the American family to thrive,” Trump’s daughter Ivanka said.
This proposal will apparently be achieved through a change in the tax code to help pay for child care, the Times reports. The details to this plan have yet to be released.
Trump has also proposed a dependent care savings account, which is an account where you can place money for child care and other needs before taxes are taken out of your paycheck.
The Trump proposal differs significantly from Hillary Clinton’s plan. According to The Washington Post, Clinton’s plan will provide 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for a newborn or a relative that is ill. Her plan will be financed by an increase in taxes on the wealthiest Americans, and covers not just mothers, but fathers as well.
Some conservatives are pleased with Trump’s proposal, including Tony Perkins from the conservative Family research Council, the Times reports. Perkins called the plan “innovative” in acknowledging “the contribution that stay-at-home parents make.”
Hillary Clinton’s senior policy adviser, Maya Harris, said that Trump “released a regressive and insufficient ‘maternity leave’ policy that is out of touch, half-baked and ignores the way Americans live and work today.”
You can read Trump’s full maternity leave and childcare plan here.