MSNBC Anchor Richard Lui and Care Advocates Tell Congress: Care Can’t Wait
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 28, 2023) – Today, care workers, caregivers, disabled people and older adults gathered on Capitol Hill to deliver a petition to members of Congress signed by more than 98,000 Americans demanding attention on the continuing care crisis.
MSNBC Anchor Richard Lui and care advocates called on Congress to invest in care infrastructure, joined by senators Patty Murray (WA), Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Ron Wyden (OR), and representatives Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9).
The petition urges Congress to prioritize care immediately by investing in universal access to child care, home and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults and disabled people, fair pay for care workers and the creation of a robust federal paid family and medical leave program.
“Family caregiving is the most common job in our society by far, but we don’t talk about it enough, said Lui. “Caregivers are like astronauts. We go on a long and distant journey, sometimes with a big crew, sometimes smaller. There are unexpected emergencies that you and your crew have to improvise around, but also joy. The more we recognize this reality, the more we can change the way we value care in our culture and economy.”
While caregivers were gathered in front of the Capitol, President Biden spoke in Virginia Beach, Va. against potential cuts to Medicaid that would harm older adults, disabled people and millions of unpaid family caregivers struggling to fill in the gaps left by Congressional inaction. As he noted in the State of the Union, it’s time Congress finishes the job and fully funds our care infrastructure, the opposite of massive cuts to the health care one in four Americans rely on.
Biden noted the Republican plan to slash $2 trillion from Medicaid would cause 70 million Americans, namely older adults, disabled people and children to lose access to critical care and the ability to stay in their homes, increasing years-long waiting lists and continuing the trend of low-paid direct care jobs leading to even worse workforce shortages.
“We all have care in common. It is the core of who we are and it is what binds us as a society. Across political, racial and generational divides, we care for our children and loved ones as a practice of our shared values,” said Ai-jen Poo, executive director at Caring Across Generations. “But for too long we have underinvested in and undervalued caregivers. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. It is critical Congress fully fund the care we all need and deserve, creating policies and programs that put families first.”
In every state and every district across the U.S. there is overwhelming support for investing in care.
- Nearly nine in 10 voters want the federal government to increase funding for HCBS to allow aging adults and disabled people to live with independence and dignity.
- Similarly, eight in 10 likely voters support guaranteeing paid family and medical leave for workers who need to take time off from work to take care of a family member.
- Nearly three-fourths of voters also believe that the government should invest in increasing access to high-quality child care for all Americans.
Investing in all three pillars of the care economy — child care, paid leave, and home and community based services — is critical to our economic resilience and key to building a sustainable future.
“All workers deserve an equitable and reliable care system,” said Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO President. “Even before the pandemic, working families were being crushed under a dysfunctional and crumbling care economy. It’s become clear that we can no longer approach this problem with short-term fixes or stopgaps. Care workers should earn a living wage, and no one should have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of themselves or a loved one. Investing in care is good for our economy and our collective future. Our elected leaders must immediately take action to pass overdue investments in care.”
“We must continue to tell Congress that care can’t wait. Parents, people with disabilities, older adults, and family caregivers are struggling to find and afford the care they need to fully participate in their communities. The hardworking people who provide care in this country are struggling to make ends meet on poverty level wages. And women of color are over-represented as care workers and caregivers navigating this broken system. Only significant and sustained funding and policies to support families and the care workforce will ensure that our economy, communities, and families can thrive,” said Fatima Goss Graves, President & CEO, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). “The National Women’s Law Center is proud to be a part of the Care Can’t Wait coalition to relay the message to Congress loud and clear: 2023 is the year of care.”
“Now is the time to invest in care. As this country continues to recover from a global pandemic and faces growing financial insecurity, the need to strengthen our care infrastructure is urgently increasing. People who give and receive care are facing unprecedented strain and challenges, and it’s time for our leaders to address it. The nation’s working families, caregivers, and care workers are urging Congress to address our need for a robust federal paid family and medical leave program, a strong childcare system, investment in aging and disability care, and good jobs for all care workers. In addition, we need to lower out-of-pocket care costs and end waiting lists for services millions of working families nationwide need and deserve,” said Jenn Stowe, Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “They can’t wait anymore – and neither can care. Today we’re making it clear that Care Can’t Wait. We’re coming together to show Congress that investing in our care infrastructure is investing in our future.”
“For people with disabilities, services are a must – simply put, we would be stuck without the help each person needs to do what they want in life. We desperately need the investment to keep our aides with us. The work they do deserves a fair wage. It’s just too hard for people with disabilities to get the services they need – because there aren’t enough to go around. Congress knows what they need to do, and we are here today to tell them loud and clear – care can’t wait,” said Lolita Wood, advocate with The Arc.
“On Election Day last year, voters across the country sent Congress a clear message: Care is essential for our families and our economy,” said Sondra Goldschein, executive director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy. “Policies like paid family and medical leave and quality, affordable child care and elder care provide American families with the tools and opportunities they need to build a better life. We join our partners in the Care Can’t Wait coalition in calling on Congress to prioritize these critical issues, which have broad support from voters across the political spectrum.”
“Access to child care is necessary for joyful children, thriving families, and a strong economy—and is a critical racial and gender justice issue. We know that without care work, nothing else works,” the Child Care for Every Family Network shared in a joint statement by Co-Directors Erica Gallegos and Andrea Paluso. “In states across the country, parents and providers are organized and ready to pass national, universal child care. Strong champions for child care are emerging in Congress because they know parents and providers vote, and that the Caring Majority will be making their priorities clear in upcoming elections.”
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Caring Across Generations is a national campaign of family caregivers, care workers, disabled people, and aging adults working to transform the way we care in this country so that care is accessible, affordable and equitable— and our systems of care enable everyone to live and age with dignity.
To achieve our vision, we transform cultural norms and narratives about aging, disability and care; win federal and state-level policies; and build power amongst the people touched by care. For more information, visit caringacross.org.
