On Wednesday, October 23rd, our Caucus for Kids campaign was happy to host California Senator Kamala Harris for our seventh Facebook Live Candidate Conversation.
We were joined by many children’s advocates, with Emilee Harris from Every Child Matters, Barb Grant from the Iowa Community Action Association, Bek Wright the National Association of Social Workers – Iowa Chapter, Elizabeth Kehret from Zero to Three and Tammy Nyden from Mothers on the Frontline all asking Harris questions about her newly released children’s plan.
When asked about how her health plan would cover children, Harris said that she will be opting for a Medicare for All plan, with an option to keep your private network. She also said that about 90% of providers already accept Medicare insurance – the 10% who don’t are pediatricians who will be rolled into her plan to make sure the health services are accessible for all children.
Harris talked about her plan for child care, stating that she would cap child care payments for families at 7% of their income. She also stated that she would see to it that child care providers see an increase in pay, as well as offering universal pre-K to 3 and 4 year olds. When asked about children’s safety, Harris said that if elected president, she would close detention facilities at the border on day one. She also stated that she would give congress 100 days to have a gun safety bill on her desk before she takes executive action to address gun violence.
When asked about family economic security, Harris stated that she is committed to reducing childhood poverty by 50% in her first term as president. She was also able to address equal opportunity, focusing on children’s mental health. She said that she will place more attention on the issue of children’s mental health, and arm schools and police forces with social workers to make sure that children with mental illness are evaluated correctly in moments of crisis.
To hear our full conversation with Senator Harris, watch the video above.
The Children’s Policy Coalition is calling on every presidential candidate to address the issues affecting children and families. Candidate responses are shared here for informational purposes only. The Children’s Policy Coalition does not endorse candidates or parties. We’re caucusing for kids!
