GOP Offers Alternative to Clinton Child-Care Plan

A GOP lawmaker outlined a group of child-care proposals Saturday, backed by congressional Republicans, that he called a more effective and much cheaper alternative to President Clinton’s $21.7-billion package.

“Congressional Republicans believe the best way to help American families care for their children is to provide as many options as possible and leave more money in their pockets, not launder it through countless federal programs that shrink every dollar they earn,” Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) said in the weekly GOP radio address.

Clinton unveiled his child-care package earlier this week, including a plan to provide subsidies to low-income parents through state block grants. Other proposals offer certain families expanded tax credits for child-care expenses and grant tax breaks to businesses that provide child care to employees.

Craig said he was disappointed by the hefty price tag attached to Clinton’s proposal.

“Parents don’t want the federal government telling them what they need or how to spend their money,” he said.

Republican lawmakers have been working on child-care plans of their own for the next congressional session, he said. Among them, he said, are a measure to increase tax exemptions for couples with children and legislation to give families greater flexibility in their work schedules.

He offered no estimated cost for his proposal.

Craig also said Republicans are working on ways to encourage retiring baby boomers to become child-care workers and are pushing an “income splitting” plan.

“Income splitting would allow a spouse to claim half of his or her spouse’s income as their own. Each income would then be taxed separately,” he said. “This would give value to the spouse’s work at home and lower the tax burden of the family of that couple.”