If he wanted to, California Gov. Gavin Newsom could run for reelection this year boasting that he enacted a suite of family-friendly policies that President Joe Biden has been unable to muster from Congress. It could also be a good campaign message if his speculated flirtation with running for the Democratic presidential nomination evolves into reality.
Biden ran in 2020 on a pledge to overhaul the nation’s caregiving system, proposing numerous measures to help families. The Democratic-controlled House passed the plan, including funding to make preschool available to 3- and 4-year-olds, provide child care subsidies, extend a tax credit for people raising children and offer workers four weeks of paid leave to care for a new baby or sick family member.
But Biden’s incredibly important agenda to help parents and children stalled in the evenly divided Senate, doomed by opposition from Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
