What will you do when your aging parents need full-time help?
How do you get off thewait listfor childcare?
How do you find and afford support for a disabled loved one?
How do you do many of these all at once?
Reproductive rightsand freedom are top of mind for millions of us.
We know that has been the case in our own lives.
Care has defined so much of who we are.
Theseourexperiences are not unique.
We are proud that the Biden-Harris Administration is taking this crisis seriously and doing something truly historic about it.
But its not the first nor the last action to make history this term.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have issued the most comprehensive executive order on care, ever.
Theyve announced thestrongest budget proposals for paid leave, child, aging, and disability careever.
And theyve committed, and recommitted, to passing them into law.
As it stands now, care cant waitour country is dangerously behind.
We are one of the very few countries in the world without any form of federal paid leave.
This is the story from a high level.
What does it cost us in our daily lives?
It costs many of us the ability to make the rent or mortgage.
It costs us in groceries, car payments.
It costs us the ability to heal or to recover.
It costs many of us the most important moments of our lives.
But care also offers us the opportunity of generations.
Imagine that you could go to sleep knowing that childcare was accessible and affordable.
Federal investments in paid leave, childcare, and aging and disability care would benefit all of us.
They would lead to greater racial and gender equity by reducing pay gaps and improving Black maternal health outcomes.
They would literally save lives and jobs.
They would help us sleep better at night and give us time with the people we love most.
Theyre also some of the most popular policies in the country, across party lines and walks of life.
In a time often marked by division, care is the issue that unites us.
We all have people we love that we must care for.
Imagine that your loved ones could be with you when you need them most.
The security and comfort they could have had, the moments of joy and beauty.
This isnt fantasy; this could be our future.
Dawn Huckelbridge is the founding director ofPaid Leave for AllAction.
Ai-jen Poo is the executive director ofCaring Across Generations.
