Clinton Speaks about Diversity in Silicon Valley

Hillary Clinton returned to political form on Tuesday when she spoke at the Professional Business Women of California Conference in San Francisco, California. Clinton spoke to a crowd of over 3,500 before sitting down for a conversation with Susie Tompkins Buell. During her speech, Clinton spoke about the need for all Americans to resist the rhetoric of President Donald Trump and his administration. She also urged everyone to continue to fight against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and contact Congress. She said, “Resist, insist, persist, enlist.”

The majority of her speech focused on diversity in the workplace and the need for equal pay for women and paid family leave. She urged the business leaders in the room, most of them from Silicon Valley, to lead the way forward in granting employees paid family leave and maternity leave. Clinton criticized the Trump administration and Congress for attempting to roll back health care coverage for women. She said that when the Republican health bill failed last week it “was a victory for all Americans.” But Clinton warned “the other side never quits. Soon or later they’ll try again, and we will need to fight back twice as hard.” Watch a video from the event below.

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News Source: Recode, CBS SFBayArea, TechCrunch, SF Gate

Hillary Clinton Announces New Middle Class Tax Cut

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton announced a new plan that will expand tax relief to families with young children. The plan is outlined in the following release from Hillary for America:

As part of her plan to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, Hillary Clinton is announcing today a new expansion of the Child Tax Credit for families with young children. She will double the Child Tax Credit to a maximum of $2,000 per child up to and including age 4, and she’ll expand access to millions more families. As many as 15 million young children will be eligible for the credit of up to $2,000 – and millions more people will benefit from additional relief. And this is only a down payment on further relief for middle-class families.

“Hard-working, middle-class families are struggling with rising costs for child care, health care, caregiving and college,” said Clinton. “This new tax credit will make their lives a little bit easier and help restore fairness to our economy.”

Clinton has previously announced middle class tax relief in the form of an up-to-$5,000 credit for families with excessive out of pocket health costs, and up to $1,200 for families caring for parents and grandparents.

Specifically, Clinton is announcing today that she will:

• Double the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,000 for each young child. Right now, the Child Tax Credit gives millions of families up to $1,000 per child each year to help cover all the burdens they face. Clinton will double the maximum credit to $2,000 for each young child up to and including age 4.
• Expand Child Tax Credit refundability so millions more working families get additional relief. Under our current system millions of families do not qualify for the full credit or get very little benefit because they simply do not make enough money, since the tax code excludes the first $3,000 in earnings in determining whether a working family is eligible for refundable relief. Clinton will lower the threshold for refundability from $3,000 to the first dollar of earnings for families with children of all ages, so every working family can benefit. And she will increase the phase-in rate to 45% from 15% for families with young children. According to the nonpartisan Urban Institute, the credit is structured so that families at the low end of the income distribution do not receive the full credit, and those families that are left out are more likely to be African-American and Latino. Improving refundability and increasing the phase-in rate will help close this gap and increase the overall fairness in the system.
• Provide further tax relief for middle-class families, including those without children, and with older children: Clinton believes we should go further than doubling the Child Tax Credit for young children. The expansion Clinton is calling for today is a down payment on her overall vision for tax relief for middle-class families. Clinton believes we should further expand the Child Tax Credit for families with older children, and expand refundable relief for low-income workers without children.

Clinton’s plan will be fully paid for by her proposals to ensure the wealthy, Wall Street, and big corporations pay their fair share. And like the current Child Tax Credit, it will phase out for higher-income families.

Refundable tax credits like the Child Tax Credit reward work, lift families out of poverty, and improve lifelong outcomes for kids. Studies have shown that the Child Tax Credit helps lift millions of Americans out of poverty each year. Not only does the Child Tax Credit help fight poverty for families in the year that they qualify for the tax cut, its effects can be seen for many years later. Parents in families that receive refundable credits like the Child Tax Credit are more likely to be in the labor force and contribute to the economy. Children in those families do better in school, are more likely to go to college and earn more when they become adults.

Clinton’s proposals to expand relief for hard-working families with children stand in strong contrast to Donald Trump’s plans. Because Trump’s child care and maternity leave plan gives far more to high-income families than middle-class families struggling with costs, and his tax plan rolls back dependent exemptions and other relief for parents with children, it would actually raise taxes on 8 million middle-class families to fund his tax cuts for the rich and multinational corporations, and $4 billion for his own family.

Specifically, hard-working families that get tax relief under Clinton’s plan would see tax increases, or a much smaller tax cut, under Trump:

• A single parent earning $75,000 per year, with two young children, and $8,000 in childcare costs would see a $1,640 tax increase under Trump, and $2,000 in tax relief under Clinton’s plan. A recent academic analysis found that compared to current law, Trump’s plan would raise taxes on this family by $1,640, because it eliminates personal exemptions and the head-of-household filing status. Clinton’s expansion of the Child Tax Credit would give them an extra $2,000 in tax relief.

According to the same analysis, a married couple earning $50,000 per year, with two young children, and $8,000 in childcare costs would get a $93 tax cut under Trump’s plan, and $2,000 in tax relief under Clinton’s plan.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Wall Street Journal

Hillary For America’s Response to Trump’s Inaccurate Ad

On Thursday, Hillary for America responded to an ad from Donald Trump that characterized a number of Trump’s key policies. Hillary for America Deputy Communications Director Christina Reynolds responded to the ad with the following statement and breakdown of the claims made.

“Another day, another false ad from Trump. The truth is Trump’s plan actually raises taxes on millions of middle class families, especially working single moms and dads, and showers the wealthy with huge tax cuts. Hillary Clinton has pledged not to raise taxes on the middle class and will work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. This stands in strong contrast to Donald Trump, who apparently did not pay a cent in federal income taxes for nearly 20 years and is now trying to hide the fact that his economic plan represents a huge boon to the very wealthy.”

TRANSCRIPT	TRUMP RECORD
VOICEOVER: What does electing Donald Trump president mean for you? Families making $60,000 a year? You get a 20% tax rate reduction. SUPER: Donald J. Trump Tax Plan, DonaldJTrump.com	MILLIONS OF FAMILIES, INCLUDING SINGLE PARENTS, WOULD SEE TAX INCREASES UNDER TRUMP’S TAX PLAN Washington Post: “More Than Half Of America’s Single Parents And One-Fifth Of Its Families With Children Could See Their Federal Income Taxes Go Up Under Republican Donald Trump’s Revamped Tax Plan.” “More than half of America’s single parents and one-fifth of its families with children could see their federal income taxes go up under Republican Donald Trump’s revamped tax plan, according to a new analysis of the plan by a New York University professor who previously served as a tax specialist for the Obama administration and the Senate Finance Committee.” [Washington Post, 9/24/16] Washington Post: “The Analysis Estimates That More Than Half Of Single Parents Would See Tax Increases.” “The analysis estimates that more than half of single parents would see tax increases, because Trump eliminates what is called ‘head of household’ filing status, which gives single parents a higher standard deduction and lower rates than they otherwise would have had. Other researchers have also flagged that possibility. ‘Single parents get hit with all three of the tax increases under Trump’s plan’ — the loss of personal deductions, the loss of head-of-household status and higher rates on some income — said Harry Stein, the director of fiscal policy for the liberal Center for American Progress Action Fund, who has written about the potential effects of the Trump plan.” [Washington Post, 9/24/16] POLITIFACT SAID IT WAS TRUE TO SAY EXPERTS FOUND TRUMP’S TAX PLAN COULD RAISE TAXES ON SOME MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES PolitiFact Said Hillary Clinton Was Correct In Saying Independent Experts Found Trump’s Tax Plan Would Add $5 Trillion To The Debt And Disadvantage Middle Class Families. “Clinton said that, according to ‘independent experts,’ Trump’s tax plan ‘would blow up the debt by over $5 trillion and would in some instances disadvantage middle-class families compared to the wealthy.’ Batchelder’s past work for Senate Democrats and the Obama White House may lead some to question whether she is an ‘independent expert.’ But her estimate of the debt increase was mirrored by findings by the more conservative Tax Foundation and the deficit-hawk Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. And the Tax Foundation said Batchelder’s analysis of tax increases for some families seemed ‘reasonable.’ We rate Clinton’s statement True.” [PolitiFact, 9/27/16]
VOICEOVER: Working moms? You get paid maternity leave and an average $5,000 childcare tax reduction.	TRUMP’S MATERNITY LEAVE POLICY WOULD LEAVE OUT SINGLE MOTHERS, FATHERS AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS Ivanka Trump Said Her Father’s Paid Maternity Leave Was Meant To Help “The Mother Who Has Given Birth To The Child If They Have Legal Married Status Under The Tax Code.” Q: “OK, so when it comes to same-sex—” IVANKA TRUMP: “So it’s meant to benefit, whether it’s in same-sex marriages as well, to benefit the mother who has given birth to the child if they have legal married status under the tax code.” Q: “Well, what about gay couples, where both partners are men?” IVANKA TRUMP: “The policy is fleshed out online, so you can go see all the elements of it. But the original intention of the plan is to help mothers in recovery in the immediate aftermath of childbirth.” [Cosmopolitan, 9/14/16] Trump’s Plan Specifically Provides Leave To Mothers, Not To Fathers Or To Those Who Need Paid Leave To Care For A Seriously Ill Family Member. “What about dads? The plan applies to women — specifically, mothers. It doesn’t apply to fathers or those who have to care for a family member with a serious illness, unlike the existing federal legislation. ‘Trump frames it as maternity leave. We don’t target a specific gender under the family paid leave program in the U.S. It’s available to a families as a whole,’ noted Mathur.” [NBC News, 9/14/16] TRUMP’S CHILD CARE PLAN PROVIDES A DEDUCTION UP TO A STATE’S AVERAGE COST OF CHILD CARE – NOT A REDUCTION OF $5,000 Trump Campaign: “The [Childcare] Deduction Would Be Limited To The Average Cost Of Child Care… The Deduction Would Be Limited To $5,000 Per Year.” “The exclusion would apply to a variety of different kinds of childcare—institutional, private, nursery school, afterschool care, and enrichment activities—affording choice to parents. The deduction would be limited to the average cost of childcare in the state of residence for the age of the child. […] Similarly, the Trump plan would also allow an above-the-line deduction for eldercare costs necessary to keep a family member working outside the home. It would apply to costs like home care or adult day care costs for elderly dependents when those expenses are needed to keeping family members in the workforce. The deduction would be limited to $5,000 per year.” [Donald Trump Childcare Plan, accessed 10/6/16] A FAMILY MAKING $60,000, SUBJECT TO A 15% INCOME TAX RATE, WOULD SAVE $750 – BECAUSE 15% OF $5,000 IS $750 Joint Filers Making $60,000 Are Subject To A 15% Tax Rate. [Internal Revenue Service, accessed 10/6/16] TRUMP’S CHILD CARE PLAN WOULD HELP THE RICH FAR MORE THAN THE MIDDLE CLASS Under Trump’s Plan, Wealthy Families Making $500,000 A Year Would Get A Child Care Tax Break Over 2.6 Times Larger Than The One A Family Making $60,000 Would Get. “The centerpiece of Trump’s child care plan is a tax deduction, which is simply the wrong policy for making child care affordable, since it will always offer the most help to those who need it the least. For example, under Trump’s plan, wealthy families making $500,000 would get a child care tax break that is 2.64 times larger than the same tax break for a family making $60,000. Put another way, Trump would give the wealthy family a tax deduction worth $39.60 for every $100 they pay for child care, since they are in the 39.6 percent tax bracket. Meanwhile, the middle-class family in the 15 percent tax bracket would get a tax deduction worth only $15 for every $100 spent on child care. Even if the middle-class family spends the same amount as the wealthy family for child care, the wealthy family’s tax cut is much larger.” [Harry Stein, US News, 9/14/16] TRUMP’S CHILD CARE PLAN WILL “BARELY MAKE A DENT” IN THE CHILD CARE COSTS OF FAMILIES WHO DON’T PAY INCOME TAXES Trump’s Child Care Tax Deduction Wouldn’t Help The 44 Percent Of Families That Don’t Pay Income Taxes, And Trump’s Solution To That, An Annual Rebate “Will Barely Make A Dent” In Most Child Care Bills. “And tax deductions do nothing for the 44 percent of families that don’t earn enough to pay income taxes. Trump’s solution for accommodating these lower-income families is to offer a rebate of $1,200 per year. With average child care expenses exceeding the cost of rent and college tuition in most states, this rebate will barely make a dent in most families’ child care bills.” [Vivien Labaton, CNBC, 9/14/16] TRUMP’S TAX DEDUCTIONS WOULDN’T HELP FAMILIES PAY CHILD CARE COSTS ON A WEEKLY OR MONTHLY BASIS Trump’s End-Of-Year Tax Break Wouldn’t Help Families That Pay Child Care Costs On A Weekly Or Monthly Basis. “Second, most families have to pay their child care provider weekly or monthly, so an end-of-year tax break is no help. Trump’s child care plan assumes parents can pay thousands of dollars up-front each month to even qualify for his deduction, and then wait up to a year to get reimbursed. When you’re struggling every week to make ends meet, an end-of-year deduction or rebate is too little too late.” [Vivien Labaton, CNBC, 9/14/16] TRUMP CLAIMED HE OFFERED CHILD CARE FOR HIS EMPLOYEES, BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY A PROGRAM FOR RESORT GUESTS TO GET AMENITIES LIKE CHILD SPA SERVICES “Trump Kids” And “Trumpeteers” Were Programs For Guests Of Trump’s Hotels And A Golf Club, Not His Employees. “The billionaire real estate mogul, who previously voiced his opposition to government-funded universal pre-K programs, said in Newton, Iowa, in November 2015 that he had visited many companies that offered workers on-site child-care centers — and added that he offered such programs himself. […] Trump pointed specifically to two programs: ‘They call ’em Trump Kids. Another one calls it Trumpeteers, if you can believe it. I have ’em. I actually have ’em, because I have a lot of different businesses.’ […] But the two programs Trump cited — ‘Trump Kids’ and ‘Trumpeteers’ — are programs catering to patrons of Trump’s hotels and golf club. They are not for Trump’s employees, according to staff at Trump’s hotels and clubs across the country.” [Associated Press, 8/11/16]
VOICEOVER: Business owners, your taxes get cut from 35% to 15% so you can expand and create more jobs.	TRUMP PLEDGED TO LOWER THE CORPORATE TAX RATE TO 15%, AND MAKE PASS THROUGH INCOME SUBJECT TO THAT RATE, WHICH COULD SAVE HIM MILLIONS HEADLINE: “Donald Trump’s New Tax Plan Could Have A Big Winner: Donald Trump’s Companies” [Washington Post, 8/10/16] CBPP: “Mr. Trump’s Plan Would Set The Individual Tax Rate On Pass-Through Business Income At 15 Percent, Ten Percentage Points Below His Proposed 25 Percent Top Tax Rate On Ordinary Income.” “Mr. Trump’s plan would set the individual tax rate on pass-through business income at 15 percent, ten percentage points below his proposed 25 percent top tax rate on ordinary income.  If the ability to escape a 2.9 percent payroll tax (the payroll tax rate that would otherwise apply) encourages wealthy pass-through business owners to reclassify their labor earnings as ‘business’ income, a ten percentage-point tax-rate differential would provide a far greater incentive for such taxpayers to try to classify more of their ordinary earnings as pass-through business income.” [Center On Budget And Policy Priorities, 8/8/16] Tax Policy Center Expert: Pass-Through Provision “Is A Really Nice Deal” For Trump. “’It’s a really nice deal’ for Trump and pass-through owners like him, said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.” [Washington Post, 8/10/16] Trump Claimed His 2015 Income Was “In Excess” Of $557 Million Excluding Dividends, Interest, Capital Gains, Rents, And Royalties. “Mr. Trump’s income as reported in the PFD statement is in excess of $557 million (which does not include dividends, interest, capital gains, rents and royalties). Mr. Trump’s net worth has increased since the last statement was filed in July of 2015. As of this date, Mr. Trump’s net worth is in excess of $10 billion dollars.” [Donald Trump, Press Release, 5/17/16]
VOICEOVER: Donald Trump. Prosperity for you, America great again.	TRUMP’S ECONOMIC POLICIES WOULD PUSH AMERICA TOWARDS A RECESSION AND LEAD TO 3.5 FEWER MILLION JOBS A Moody’s Analytics Report On Trump’s Economic Proposals On Taxes, Trade, Immigration And Spending Found That Trump’s Policies Could Sharply Reduce Economic Output And Reduce Employment By 3.5 Million Jobs During His First Term. “A new analysis concludes Donald Trump’s economic proposals, taken at face value, could produce a prolonged recession and heavy job losses that would fall hardest on low- and middle-income workers. The Moody’s Analytics report, which a person close to the Trump campaign strongly disputed, is the first that attempts to quantify the cumulative economic benefits and costs of Mr. Trump’s proposals on taxes, trade, immigration and spending. It determines that full adoption of those policies would sharply reduce economic output during his first term and reduce employment by 3.5 million jobs.” [Wall Street Journal, 6/20/16] Moody’s Concluded That Trump’s Trade And Immigration Policies Would Sharply Boost The Prices Of Labor And Goods And Contribute To A Recession In 2018. “The report singles out trade and immigration policies as the most detrimental to the economy in the short run because they could sharply boost labor and goods prices at a time when there’s less slack in the labor market. ‘It is a massive supply shock to the economy that’s very pernicious, and the Fed doesn’t know how to respond to that,’ said Mr. Zandi. Moody’s concludes that those price pressures would force the central bank to raise interest rates at a faster-than-desired pace, contributing to a recession in 2018 that could produce a 25% drop in the S&P 500.” [Wall Street Journal, 6/20/16] TRUMP REPEATEDLY CLAIMED AMERICAN WAGES WERE ALREADY “TOO HIGH” Trump Opposed Raising The Minimum Wage Because: “Wages Too High, We’re Not Going To Be Able To Compete Against The World.” Trump said he wouldn’t raise the minimum wage, and the reason is that America ‘is a country that is being beaten on every front.’ The problem, he said: ‘Taxes too high, wages too high, we’re not going to be able to compete against the world. I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is. People have to go out, they have to work really hard, and they have to get into that upper stratum.’” [The Week, 11/10/15; Republican Primary Debate, Milwaukee WI, 11/10/15] Trump: “We Have To Become Competitive With The World.  Our Taxes Are Too High, Our Wages Are Too High.  Everything Is Too High.” TRUMP: “But you know what? We have to become competitive with the world.  Our taxes are too high, our wages are too high.  Everything is too high.” [Morning Joe, MSNBC, 11/11/15; The Hill, 11/11/15] TRUMP PLANS TO ELIMINATE THE ESTATE TAX, WHICH COULD SAVE HIS FAMILY $4 BILLION HEADLINE: “Trump Pledges To Repeal Estate Tax” [The Hill, 12/5/15] CNN: Trump’s Family Could Owe $3.997 Billion In Estate Tax. “Donald Trump says that he is worth $10 billion. We’ll go with his numbers, though it is worth pointing out that other estimates put Trump’s net worth around $4.5 billion. Trump falls into the top tax bracket and would owe 40% on his assets above the $5.45 million lifetime exemption, which leaves his estate with a $3.997 billion tax liability. […] So it’s TRUE that 99.8% of Americans would not benefit from the elimination of the estate tax. It is also TRUE that Trump’s family could owe just less than $4 billion in estate taxes if the family does not use any loopholes or exemptions.” [CNN, 9/25/16] TRUMP’S TAX PLAN WOULD CREATE A NEW LOOPHOLE FOR REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS, COSTING MORE THAN A TRILLION DOLLARS New York Times: “It’s Hard To Imagine A Tax Code More Favorable To Real Estate Developers Than The One We Already Have. Donald Trump Has Come Up With One.” [James Stewart, New York Times, 9/1/16] New York Times: Trump’s Tax Plan “Piles On New [Tax Breaks] For Real Estate Developers Like Mr. Trump Himself — At An Estimated Cost Of More Than $1 Trillion In Tax Revenue Over A Decade.” “Thanks to some major loopholes in the existing tax code that treat real estate developers as a special privileged class, it’s entirely possible (even likely) that Mr. Trump pays little or no federal income tax. But Mr. Trump’s new tax proposal doesn’t just preserve those breaks, it piles on new ones for real estate developers like Mr. Trump himself — at an estimated cost of more than $1 trillion in tax revenue over a decade.” [James Stewart, New York Times, 9/1/16] Republican Economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin: “If You Want To Create A Recipe For An Abusive Tax Shelter, Take Those Elements And Bake For 15 Minutes.” [James Stewart, New York Times, 9/1/16]
TRUMP (V/O): I’m Donald Trump and I approve this message.

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HFA Release on Trump’s Policies

Leading up to tonight’s presidential debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, Hillary for America released a series of responses to Trump’s proposals on the economy, taxes, child care, maternity leave, foreign policy, health care, immigration, trade, and the Veterans Administration. A copy of the release is below.

In a prebuttal to the first presidential debate, Hillary for America released a review of Donald Trump’s few policy proposals from experts and journalists, who have judged them variously as incoherent, unrealistic, excessively costly, and devastating for working families – where he has even bothered to address the issues at all. Whether it’s a dangerous immigration plan based on mass-deportation and a “great and beautiful wall,” a half-baked child care plan that would leave millions of middle-class families to fend for themselves, tax and economic proposals to benefit the rich and explode the national debt while leaving middle-class families holding the bag, or a broader economic agenda that would plunge our country into recession and cost us millions of jobs — Trump’s policy proposals have been panned by experts and critics across the political spectrum.

ECONOMIC PLAN

Donald Trump’s economic playbook has only one trick: to get ahead and stiff others. From a decades-long pattern of scamming small businesses and outsourcing jobs, to a proposal to cut taxes for billionaires like himself and his family at the expense of everyone else, Trump’s self-serving strategy is clear. According to a former economic advisor to John McCain, Trump’s policies would destroy nearly 3.5 million jobs. In fact, economists and business leaders across the political spectrum agree that his economic plan would plunge our country back into recession.

Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics: The economy will be significantly weaker if Mr. Trump’s economic proposals are adopted:

“Quantifying Mr. Trump’s economic policies is complicated by their lack of specificity…Mr. Trump’s economic proposals will also result in larger federal government deficits and a heavier debt load…. the economy will be significantly weaker if Mr. Trump’s economic proposals are adopted…four basic conclusions regarding the impact of Mr. Trump’s economic proposals can be reached: 1) they will result in a less global U.S. economy; 2) they will lead to larger government deficits and more debt; 3) they will largely benefit very high-income households; and 4) they will result in a weaker U.S. economy, with fewer jobs and higher unemployment.”

WSJ: Economists Who’ve Advised Presidents Are No Fans of Donald Trump:

“Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump…garners no support from any of the White House economists who have advised U.S. presidents for the past half-century. The Wall Street Journal this month reached out to all 45 surviving former members of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under the past eight presidents, going back to Richard Nixon, to get their views on this year’s presidential election. Among 17 Republican appointees who responded to Journal inquiries, none said they supported Mr. Trump.

National Association of Business Economics: Business Economists Say Hillary Clinton Is Best for the Economy . . . About 14% picked Mr. Trump:

“A majority of business economists in a new survey said Hillary Clinton is the best choice to oversee the U.S. economy as president. Her Republican rival, Donald Trump, didn’t even come in second.”

Politico: Economists savage Trump’s economic agenda:

“…if Trump’s policies were enacted it would be some form of disaster for the economy. If you force 11 million undocumented immigrants to leave in a year, you would be looking at a depression. It would not help the people he is talking to, they would be the first to go down.”

Washington Post Editorial: Trump’s economic plan goes from worse to bad:

“[Trump’s] prescriptions have progressed from preposterous to merely intellectually dishonest; their foreseeable impact on the U.S. economy, from destabilizing to merely dangerous.”

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Does a recession sound ‘great’ to you?:

“For those keeping track, under Trump’s trade plans, we would see higher prices, reduced spending power, fewer jobs, and a weaker economy, both here at home and abroad, according to the analysis. Of course, that’s the last thing our country and the global economy need right now.”

TAXES

Donald Trump has put out so many different tax plans during this campaign that we’re losing count. But his latest effort is more of the same: doubling down on tax cuts that benefit billionaires like himself and his family, while maintaining his Trump Loophole — the massive backdoor tax cut that would let the wealthy pay less than half the current tax rate on a significant portion of their income. He has also proposed a tax cut that would save his own family $4 billion (that is, if Trump is worth as much as he says he is) – while doing nothing for 99.8% of Americans. And even as Trump is exploding the debt by more than $5 trillion with tax cuts weighted towards millionaires and billionaires, his plan includes a bait-and-switch that would result in millions of middle-class families, including half of all single parents, paying higher taxes.

Washington Post: A new study says Trump would raise taxes for millions:

“More than half of America’s single parents and one-fifth of its families with children could see their federal income taxes go up under Republican Donald Trump’s revamped tax plan…”

TPM: Trump’s Economic Plan Runs Afoul Of Deficit Hawks By Ballooning The Debt:

“The organization of deficit hawks projected that Trump’s plans would increase the deficit by $5.3 trillion over a decade.”

Vox: Donald Trump’s “new” tax plan: a giveaway to the rich that he pretends helps the middle class:

“ Long story short: This is big money, going from very successful businesses to their wealthy shareholders, that Trump is proposing to tax at a much lower rate.

Fundamentally, Trump is still offering voters the same approach to taxes he’s been offering all campaign: massive cuts for corporations of all kinds, big rate cuts for top earners, and benefits supposedly aimed at the middle class that offer less than they initially appear to.”

NPR: Analysis: Trump Tax Plan Would Cost Trillions, Boost Incomes For The Rich:

“The right-leaning Tax Foundation released an analysis Monday that said Trump’s campaign would shrink federal revenues by as much as $5.9 trillion over 10 years…In that top 1 percent, the income growth is particularly high — 10.2 to 16 percent.”

Trump claims his irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthy would be paid for by economic growth – but, as we just made clear, his agenda plunges the economy back into recession.

CHILD CARE

Under Donald Trump’s child care plan, close to 80% of families might, at most, get only four cents on the dollar for child care costs—and millions of these families could very well get nothing or even face a tax increase under Trump’s overall plan. This, while Trump’s plan would provide around 40 cents on the dollar or more to taxpayers in the top bracket. It’s no surprise this regressive policy came from the man living in the penthouse of Trump Tower, who has relied on government his entire life to help pad his own pockets.

The Guardian: Trump’s child care plan is good for the rich. But what about the rest of us?:

“Trump’s plan completely fails to address the day-to-day realities of America’s working families, because it fails to address the underlying problem: it does nothing to make child care affordable. In the United States, the average cost of center-based child care for the typical working family with an infant and preschooler is about $18,000, a steep price for families to cover. If a family cannot afford child care, a tax deduction is irrelevant – a family can’t deduct something that they can’t pay for to begin with.”

Esquire: Why Donald Trump’s New Child-Care Plan Is a Joke:

“However, as reporter Jeremy Diamond clarified, the plan does not entail six weeks of full paid maternity leave. Instead, it offers six weeks of full unemployment benefits. Trump also announced a plan for parents to deduct child-care expenses from their income taxes, capped at the ‘average cost of care’ per state, and deductibles for stay-at-home parents.

All said, Trump’s plan is a big government idea very obviously meant to cater to female voters—and very obviously Ivanka’s brainchild.”

Salon: Trump’s child-care policy: A combination of the useless and the inadequate:

“As Trump hinted last month, the centerpiece of his plan is a provision letting parents deduct the costs of child care from their taxes. The problem here is that people who need the most help affording child care — poor and low-income families — frequently don’t have any federal income tax burden. If they’re already paying zero dollars in federal income tax, an extra deduction won’t do them any good; they’ll still be paying zero dollars.”

MATERNITY LEAVE

Trump’s “maternity leave” plan is demeaning and damaging–casting women as the sole caretaker for a child and undercutting women in the workplace. By only providing leave to married mothers who give birth, the plan tells us which parents Trump doesn’t believe count: single moms, women who can’t physically have a child, same-sex couples that use a surrogate, parents who adopt, and all fathers. It’s not only demeaning, it’s also harmful. Studies have shown that providing paid leave to new mothers, but not to new fathers, negatively affects women’s return to the workplace, can discourage employers from hiring or promoting female employees, and can increase the gender pay-gap.

Huffington Post: Trump’s Maternity Leave Plan Is His Biggest Insult To Women Yet:

“Let’s repeat that: Trump’s solution for struggling American families leaves out men. More than any other problem with the plan ― and there are lots ― omitting half the population is its profoundest and most revelatory flaw, confirming once again Trump’s antiquated, sexist and harmful worldview: Men work. Women do the child-raising. The end.”

Vox: Donald Trump’s plan to fund a paid family leave program is totally absurd:

“Since everything we know so far about Trump’s plan fits into two tweets, it’s hard to say for sure what he’s envisioning. But 88 percent of workers right now aren’t covered by family leave, so requiring businesses to pay for it on their own would be a very big burden. And if leave is really “guaranteed,” it’s going to require something more than a tax credit to make that happen.”

VICE: Donald Trump’s Maternity Leave Plan Is a Big Deal, Too Bad It Sucks:

“Another way Trump’s plan falls short of Clinton’s in scope is that it doesn’t do much for the poor. Most of the childcare benefits would come in the form of income tax breaks, which won’t benefit the poorest Americans, who don’t pay income taxes and would have to pony up for childcare up front.”

Washington Post: Why Trump’s maternity leave plan is unconstitutional:

“In sum, if Trump’s maternity leave plan were ever enacted into law, it would likely be struck down by the courts as unconstitutional. Trump has demonstrated utter contempt for constitutional rights and limitations on government power on a shockingly wide range of issues. His discriminatory maternity leave plan is another addition to a troubling list.”

Washington Post: Donald Trump’s new paid maternity leave plan might exclude single mothers: “The plan is discriminating against fathers, fathers and mothers who adopt, LGBT parents and apparently some set of unmarried parents,” said Carmel Martin, executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.”

FOREIGN POLICY

Donald Trump hasn’t said much in terms of real plans to keep our country safe. But foreign policy experts agree, the ideas Trump has mentioned are dangerous, reckless, and wrongheaded. Yet Trump continues to spew fact-free rhetoric about global issues that would make us less secure, including consistent claims that he has a “secret” plan to defeat ISIS, threats to break up NATO along with accusations that NATO countries are “ripping off the United States”, and reckless comments on nuclear weapon.

Washington Post: It’s almost like Donald Trump’s secret plan to defeat ISIS never actually existed: “But on the list of things on which Trump have over-promised and under-delivered, this surely ranks toward the top. He promised he had a “foolproof” way of ending a foreign policy challenge of massive consequence, and now he’s punting to the generals.”

Time: Why ISIS Supports Donald Trump:

“The bottom line is this: Trump’s erratic and belligerent slogans are no substitute for policies based on facts and sound judgment.”

PoliticsUSA: The Reviews Are In: Trump ISIS Speech Was Full Of Lies And Gibberish That Made No Sense:

“The consensus among non-partisan observers is that the speech that Donald Trump gave about ISIS was so full of lies, inconsistencies, and gibberish that it made no sense.”

New York Times: Donald Trump Says NATO is ‘Obsolete,’ UN is ‘Political Game’

“President Obama on Friday rebuked Mr. Trump for his comments, saying he worried the real estate billionaire “doesn’t know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean Peninsula or the world generally.”

CNN: The danger of Trump’s NATO comments

“The bottom line is this: Trump’s erratic and belligerent slogans are no substitute for policies based on facts and sound judgment.”

CNN: Japan and South Korea hit back at Trump’s nuclear comments

“Howls of inaccuracy came from the South Korean Foreign Ministry, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, and even the White House.  Ambassador Mark Lippert said Seoul pays for 55% of all non-personnel costs. And former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill was more succinct. He told CNN, “I don’t know what he’s talking about but clearly neither does he.”

Business Insider: ‘Total catastrophe’: Experts say Donald Trump’s position on nuclear proliferation would be a disaster

“ But experts from two nonpartisan organizations opposed to the spread of nuclear weapons told Business Insider his position would be dangerous. Jeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said Japan building nuclear weapons would be a “total catastrophe for Japan and US nuclear power programs.”

The Atlantic: With His Finger on the Trigger: The insane risks of Donald Trump’s stance on nuclear weapons:

“Stephen Walt, a prominent realist scholar, has written, “realists prefer to ‘speak softly and carry a big stick;’ Trump’s modus operandi consists of waving the big stick while running a big mouth.” His loose talk during the campaign has already damaged America’s alliances. And on the central question of nuclear weapons, he has clearly exposed himself to be weak-kneed in his acceptance of international proliferation.”

HEALTHCARE

Donald Trump has promised that he would immediately work to repeal Obamacare, taking health insurance away from 20 million people – and letting the insurance companies write the rules all over again. Trump’s suggested healthcare plan would cost hundreds of billions more, would nearly double the uninsured rate and does not address people with pre-existing conditions. Americans cannot afford that.

Newsmax‎: Trump’s Healthcare Plan Could Cost 25 Million Americans Their Coverage:

“Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan foundation that studies healthcare, released a study on Friday analyzing the two candidate’s plans. If Trump becomes president, up to 25 million people could lose their coverage, most of them low-income and already in poor health. Under Clinton, 9.6 million more people could gain access to healthcare.”

Chicago Tribune: Study finds 20M would lose health coverage under Trump plan:

“A new study that examines some major health care proposals from the presidential candidates finds that Donald Trump would cause about 20 million to lose coverage while Hillary Clinton would provide coverage for an additional 9 million people.”

CNBC: Obamacare repeal would lead to 24 million more people without health insurance:

“If the next president and Congress repeal Obamacare — as many Republican elected officials want to do — there could end up being more people without health insurance than before the law went into effect, a new study says. A total of 24 million more people would lose health coverage by 2021 if the Affordable Care Act was repealed, according to the study issued Monday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute.”

IMMIGRATION

Donald Trump’s immigration plan remains the same as it’s always been: Send a deportation force into American communities to tear apart families and deport 16 million people from the United States—including every undocumented immigrant and American citizens born here to undocumented parents. Experts say Trump’s immigration policies would be detrimental to the economy. Oh, and he wants to ban all Muslims from entering the United States and falsely claims Mexico will pay for his giant concrete wall.

David Leopold: Deconstructing Donald Trump’s horrifying 10-step assault on immigration, due process and other cherished American values: “Rhetorical gymnastics aside, what’s crystal clear after Wednesday’s immigration speech is that Donald Trump’s ugly vision of America would rip American families apart, devastate communities, wreak havoc on our economy, and threaten our security at home and abroad.”

The Daily Pennsylvanian: Trump’s immigration plan would cost 4 million jobs, according to Wharton model:

“If Trump were to deport 10 percent of undocumented workers per year during two terms in office, based on the limitations of the model, the U.S. would have about 156 million jobs in 2030, compared to the 160 million jobs that the country would have with the its current immigration policies.”

Washington Post: Donald Trump’s “Humane” 1950s Model for Deportation, ‘Operation Wetback,’ Was Anything But:   “

Like usual, [Trump] doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Rodolfo Acuña, professor emeritus of Chicano Studies at California State University, Northridge, told The Huffington Post … Brownell said, ‘Just give them some live ammo, let them shoot a few people. Then everyone will be scared and they won’t come across the border,” he said. “Really humane.”

CityLab: The Price of Mass Deportation; Trump wants to deport 11 million immigrants. Here are the likely economic consequences of that:

California could lose $100 billion of its GDP, annually. Texas could lose $60 billion. New Jersey, $25 billion. All but 5 U.S. states would see at least 1 percent of their GDP disappear each year. The resulting nationwide losses would build up to about $4.7 trillion in ten years.

TRADE

Donald Trump may talk tough on trade, but his own record of outsourcing contradicts his message: Trump clothing in Mexico, Trump ties in China, Trump shirts in Bangladesh, Trump furniture in Turkey and Germany, Trump mirrors in India, Trump barware in Slovenia. Trump even used to defend outsourcing, saying it created jobs in the long run. Meanwhile, Trump’s statements on trade have been either erratic and irresponsible, full of lies, or (occasionally) taken straight from Hillary’s fact sheets and onto his teleprompter.

Throughout this campaign, Trump’s statements on trade have been erratic and irresponsible — full of bluster, empty promises, and recklessness that would put American jobs at risk. Trump repeatedly rejects the idea that Americans can compete and win in the global economy and does not offer a concrete plan to actually create good-paying jobs here in America.

New York Times: Why a President Trump Could Start a Trade War With Surprising Ease :

“Mr. Trump is proposing a reordering of the global economic system that would fundamentally reshape the structure of American industry. He could start a trade war that would threaten not only American exporters who need access to foreign markets, but also any business that relies on commodities or products made overseas.”

Vox: Study: Donald Trump’s trade policies could cost 4 million jobs:

“The study, from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, attempted to quantify the impact of Trump’s proposed trade policies. Its conclusion: If a President Trump did what Candidate Trump promised, the US economy would lose more than 4 million jobs and fall into a recession.”

The Daily Beast: Donald Trump’s Trade Talk Is Garbage—Literally:

“Two powerful groups, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce, moved swiftly to condemn Trump’s [trade policy] speech. Both groups often align themselves with pro-business GOP policy makers, and it is especially unusual for them to take on the Republican presidential nominee so directly.”

CNBC: Trump’s trade policies would send US into recession, study says:

“The study released on Monday by researchers at the non-partisan Peterson Institute for International Economics illustrates how, even as the New York businessman pledges to boost growth and create millions of jobs, most mainstream economists view his economic policies as dangerous quackery.”

VETERANS ADMINISTRATION

The policy reforms Donald Trump has proposed would put us on a path toward the wholesale privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Moving towards privatization as Trump’s plan does would gut the VA of the resources needed to provide high-quality, coordinated care. Fully privatizing the VA – the likely result of Trump’s proposals – is not a fix at all; it’s an ideological crusade that will only compound the problem. It would deprive our veterans of access to the specialized care they require and deserve and leave them at the mercy of a private healthcare market that’s ill-suited to handle their needs. And on top of it, Trump has proposed slashing funding for veterans’ health care by 29% within 10 years.

CBPP: Trump’s plans would cut veterans medical care by 29%:

“To help pay for his tax cut plan, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is proposing to cut total funding for non-defense programs funded through the annual appropriations process by 1 percent below the previous year’s total each year. While this may sound modest, the cumulative cut would be very substantial.  By the tenth year (2026), non-defense appropriations would be about 29 percent below current levels, after accounting for inflation.”

MSNBC: Donald Trump Is Serious About Privatizing Veterans’ Care:

“And what about the rest of Trump’s “10-point plan”? The entire list is online, but it’s woefully thin. It’s really just a series of shallow slogans that mean very little, including the first point: Trump intends to appoint a VA Secretary “whose sole purpose will be to serve veterans.”

NPR: Is Donald Trump Proposing Privatizing The VA?:

“The other issue with Trump’s broad proposal is the price tag. According to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Trump’s plan to reimburse vets for visits to any doctor they like would cost half a trillion dollars over 10 years.”

POLL: 64% of veterans oppose privatization — with 54% of them strongly opposing it — while only 29% support it.

NO POLICY

Donald Trump has run a campaign devoid of detailed plans – instead it’s been full of bluster, empty words, demagogic rhetoric. He has no real plans to improve the lives of the American people or make this country any better or safer.

National Journal: Trump Policy Shop Still Filling in Blanks:

“As debate looms, GOP nominee’s campaign can’t give clear answers to many basic policy questions.”

AP FACT CHECK: Trump says Clinton lacks policies. Seriously?

“THE FACTS: By any measure, Clinton has released far more specific plans on far more topics than her GOP rival. Trump’s website currently lays out eight policy positions, including spelling out his “economic vision,” his plans for child care and immigration reform and his plan to “pay for the wall.” Clinton’s offers position on 38 issues for potential voters to read.”

LA Times: Clinton has enough policy to fill a book, while Trump has said little about how he’d govern

“To only has Trump offered no plan to tackle mental healthcare, he’s presented the barest of outlines for most of his governing agenda, even as he now accuses Clinton of “running a policy-free campaign,” as he claimed at recent rally in Iowa. Trump’s vague tax, healthcare and national security proposals have baffled experts on both sides of the political aisle who have struggled to make sense of what Trump is offering. Even Trump’s immigration policy, perhaps the signature issue of his campaign, has proved difficult to decipher.”

Politico: Trump’s One Unbreakable Policy: Skip The Details

“He has boasted that his main policy adviser is himself and the advisers he does have say he doesn’t read briefing papers. He has mocked Hillary Clinton for surrounding herself with “eggheads” and churning out reams of wonky government reform proposals. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who will be speaking on Trump’s behalf at this week’s Republican convention in Cleveland, recently said “it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t know a lot about the issues.”

TIME: In an interview Trump admits he isn’t worried about creating policy as they are “a waste of paper”

“He [Trump] even mocks her focus on putting out so many policy proposals, a longtime tradition for major party nominees. “She’s got people that sit in cubicles writing policy all day. Nothing’s ever going to happen. It’s just a waste of paper.” (The Clinton campaign counts that paper as a point of pride: 73,645 words of policy and counting.)”

NPR: Donald Trump’s Policy Positions Lack Specifics … So Far

“Asked Tuesday morning by Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s Today show about his lack of specific proposals, Trump didn’t answer the question and simply pointed to the record ratings he drew for Fox News.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

HFA Statement on New Trump Proposal

Hillary for America released a response to Donald Trump’s child care proposal. Senior policy advisor Maya Harris released the following:

“After spending his entire career — and this entire campaign — demeaning women and dismissing the need to support working families, Donald Trump released a regressive and insufficient ‘maternity leave’ policy that is out-of-touch, half-baked and ignores the way Americans live and work today. Instead of asking those at the top to pay their fair share, he’s robbing Peter to pay Paul by raiding unemployment insurance funds, and giving the most to the wealthy while providing far less relief to middle-class and working families.  The lack of seriousness of this proposal is no surprise given his history of disrespecting women in the workplace and the fact there’s no evidence he ever provided paid family leave or childcare to his own employees.  Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton — who has a lifelong record of fighting for women and families — has a comprehensive plan that will support 21st century families.”

POLICY ANALYSIS


TRUMP MATERNITY LEAVE CLAIM: “The Trump plan will guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave by amending the existing unemployment insurance (UI) that companies are required to carry. The benefit would apply only when employers don’t offer paid maternity leave, and would be paid for by offsetting reductions in the program so that taxes are not raised.”

EXPLAINER:

• Trump’s plan will undercut women in the workplace and depress their wages. Trump’s plan casts women as the sole child caretaker and actually encourages employers to discriminate against women. Studies have shown that providing paid leave to new mothers, but not to new fathers, negatively affects women’s return to the workplace, can discourage employers from hiring or promoting female employees, and can increase the gender pay-gap. By only providing leave to new mothers, Trump’s plan also undercuts working dads, including gay couples and single-fathers.

• Trump’s plan is paid for on the backs of Americans most in need of support: those who have recently lost their job. By cutting unemployment insurance – rather than asking the wealthy to pay their fair share – he’s putting working families at risk.

• Trump’s plan would provide no relief to many working families. Unlike comprehensive and effective paid family leave proposals, Trump’s plan does not guarantee workers a portion of their wages while on leave, rather workers would receive an undefined percentage of unemployment insurance. In Florida, for example, this means a mother would only receive, at most, $275 per week.

• Trump’s numbers simply don’t add up to a real paid leave plan.  The absurdly low projected cost of his policy means it will not provide sufficient support for middle class families to actually afford taking time off to care for a child.

• Hillary’s plan for paid family leave is actually responsive to the needs of working families in the 21st century. It would guarantee twice as many weeks of leave as Trump’s plan; ensure hardworking Americans get at least two-thirds of their current wages; apply to fathers and those who need to care for an ill family member; and is funded by making the wealthy pay their fair share—not by robbing recently laid-off workers of the support their families need.

TRUMP CHILD CARE CLAIM: “The Trump plan will rewrite the tax code to allow working parents to deduct from their income taxes child care expenses for up to four children and elderly dependents…Individuals who have no tax liability…will claim an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, equivalent to half of their payroll tax contribution.”

EXPLAINER:

• Trump’s child care plan gives at least twice as big a tax benefit to the wealthy than the middle class.  After changing his child care proposal numerous times, Trump’s latest child care deduction remains highly regressive – Trump’s plan give around 43 cents on the dollar to 470,000 families with children in the top income tax bracket, and less than half as much to tens of millions of working families in the middle class. That’s because taxpayers in the top income tax bracket can deduct at their income tax rate of 39.6% plus around 4% for half of their payroll taxes.

• Trump’s child care plan gives 12 million hard-working families just 4 cents on the dollar. For the 12 million families with children who do not have federal income tax liability, Trump’s plan would give just a few cents on the dollar – half of their payroll tax obligations, or around 4 cents on the dollar. That’s almost 10 times less than the highest-earning families eligible for the plan.

• Trump’s plan could give thousands more to wealthy than working families. For example, in states like New York and Massachusetts where the average cost of childcare can be around $15,000, a family in the top bracket could get a $6,000-$7,000 tax cut by deducting at the top bracket rate of 39.6% (and potentially plus around 4% for half of their payroll tax obligations), compared to just around $200 for a family spending $5,000 a year on child care, and relying on Trump’s proposal to get a roughly 4% credit.

• Trump’s new child care proposal might offer families less than currently available tax credits. In fact, the more than 30 million middle-class families with children in the 15% bracket or lower might get less under Trump’s plan than under the current-law Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which offers a 20% tax credit against up to $6,000 in child care expenses, because under Trump’s plan, they might only be able to deduct up to 15%.

• Trump’s plan could actually bring down the quality of childcare for working families. By making child care less expensive for wealthy families, while doing close to nothing for millions of middle class Americans, Trump’s plan could actually increase economic segregation in the child care setting. Decades of early learning research shows the negative impact of such segregation on children.

• Hillary’s plan will actually make childcare affordable for hard-working families. Hillary believes quality, affordable childcare should be available for every family—not just those at the top. That’s why she will fight to ensure no family in America pays more than more than 10% of its income to afford care.

TRUMP SAVINGS ACCOUNT CLAIM: “The Trump plan would create new Dependent Care Savings Accounts (DCSAs) so that families can set aside extra money to foster their children’s development and offset elder care for their parents or adult dependents.  These new accounts are available to everyone, and allow both tax-deductible contributions and tax-free appreciation year-to-year.”

EXPLAINER:

• Trump’s plan creates a new, regressive tax break for expensive private schools and nannies.  Trump’s new savings account creates a regressive new tax break for nannies, private school and other spending for the most fortunate.

• Trump’s plan offers more to high-earning families than the middle-class. The highest-earning families, like millionaires in the top bracket, could deduct 40 cents on the dollar for spending on private schools, nannies and other expenses they don’t need a tax break for.

• Trump’s plan gives much more to high-income families than lower income families. For example, a high-income family putting $2,000 into a savings account would get almost a $800 tax break. A middle-class family who put in $2,000 might only get $300 if they were in the 15% tax bracket. And even lower-income families eligible for a match would get less than the highest earning families.

• Hillary’s plans will provide caregivers with real relief: Hillary will actually provide tax relief to families that need it most. She will offer a 20 percent tax credit to help family members offset up to $6,000 in caregiving costs for their elderly family members, allowing caregivers to claim up to $1,200 in tax relief each year.

BACKGROUND ON TRUMP’S DISMAL RECORD ON SUPPORTING FAMILIES

No Evidence Trump Provides Paid Family Leave to Employees

The Trump Presidential Campaign And The Trump Organization Did Not Respond To Questions About What Their Family Leave Policy Was. “The Daily Beast reached out to the Trump presidential campaign, the Trump Organization, and Ivanka Trump, to ask about the family leave policy at the Trump Organization. A representative from Ivanka Trump’s brand replied quickly to say that employees of the former model’s small fashion and lifestyle shop were provided with eight weeks of paid leave… ‘In addition, since we have flexible working hours with a focus on results rather than face time, we are supportive of all working moms who some days may need or choose to work from home,’ she said. ‘My colleague Melissa, cc’d, can advise on Trump Org.’ After three follow-up emails, Melissa from the Trump Organization wrote back: ‘We will have no further comment.’” [Daily Beast, 8/15/16]

Only One Former Trump Employee Of Nine Willing To Speak Recalled Any Family Leave Offered At The Company And It Was Unpaid. “As an alternative to the tight-lipped corporate communications department, The Daily Beast reached out to over 100 former employees to ask about the company’s family-leave policy…Of the nine ex-employees who were willing to speak, only one was able to recall any maternity leave—in this instance, it was apparently unpaid leave—being offered at the company, although none of them could say conclusively that no such leave was offered.” [Daily Beast, 8/15/16]

Trump Lied About Providing Childcare to Employees

Donald Trump Said He Provides Child Care For His Employees And It Was Very Inexpensive To Do So — “I Do It All Over, And I Get Great People Because Of It.” “Donald Trump doesn’t understand why so few companies provide affordable, in-house child care for their employees like he does at some of his companies. ‘It’s not expensive for a company to do it,’ Trump said during a town hall at a community college in this small town on Thursday afternoon. ‘You need one person or two people, and you need some blocks and you need some swings and some toys. You know, surely, it’s not expensive. It’s not an expensive thing. I do it all over, and I get great people because of it… It’s something that can be done, I think, very easily by a company.’” [Washington Post, 11/19/15]

“Trump Kids” And “Trumpeteers” Were Programs For Guests Of Trump’s Hotels And A Golf Club, Not His Employees. “But the two programs Trump cited — ‘Trump Kids’ and ‘Trumpeteers’ — are programs catering to patrons of Trump’s hotels and golf club. They are not for Trump’s employees, according to staff at Trump’s hotels and clubs across the country.” [Associated Press, 8/11/16]

• AP: Trump touts child care programs, but they’re for guests only
• The Daily Beast: Donald Trump Says He Gives His Workers Childcare. His Workers Say That’s Baloney.
• Huffington Post: Donald Trump Has No Idea What ‘Trump Kids’ Actually Entails
• Vox: Trump said he gave his staff child care, but the programs were actually for his hotel guests
• The Hill: Report: Trump touted nonexistent childcare programs for employees
• New York Magazine: The Child-care Services Trump Says He Provides His Workers Don’t Exist
• NYDN: Donald Trump brags about his hotels’ on-site child care, but employees say programs are only for guests’ kids
• Mother Jones: Liar or Idiot? Yet Again, Donald Trump Poses the Eternal Question.
• Glamour: Those Child Care Services Donald Trump Says He Offers to All Employees? They Don’t Exist
• Washington Post: The Daily 202: Trump lied about providing child care for his employees.

Some of Trump’s Statements On Working Women, Mothers, And Caregivers

Trump Said He Probably Would Not Have Had A Baby If His Wife Had Expected Him To Change Diapers. “’Do you actually change diapers?’ host Anthony Cumia asked Donald Trump on the Opie and Anthony show in November of 2005. The then-59-year-old businessman, whose wife Melania was pregnant with his fifth child and her first, responded bluntly: ‘No, I don’t do that.’… ‘If I had a different type of wife,’ Trump said laughing, ‘I probably wouldn’t have a baby, ya know, cause that’s not my thing. I’m really like a great father but certain things you do and certain things you don’t. It’s just not for me.’” [BuzzFeed, 4/24/16]; Opie And Anthony Show, 11/06]

• Trump: “There’s A Lot Of Women Out There That Demand That The Husband Act Like The Wife.” “‘There’s a lot of women out there that demand that the husband act like the wife and you know there’s a lot of husbands that listen to that,’ Trump added.” [BuzzFeed,4/24/16]; Opie And Anthony Show, 11/06]

Trump: “I Like Kids. I Mean, I Won’t Do Anything To Take Care Of Them. I’ll Supply Funds And She’ll Take Care Of The Kids.” “‘Cause I like kids,’ said Trump. ‘I mean, I won’t do anything to take care of them. I’ll supply funds and she’ll take care of the kids. It’s not like I’m gonna be walking the kids down Central Park.’” [Buzzfeed, 2/24/16; Howard Stern Show, 4/05]

Trump On How Employers Could View Working Mothers: “She’s Not Giving 100 Percent, She’s Giving Me 84 Percent, And 16 Percent Is Going Towards Taking Care Of Children. So Maybe You Can Also Understand The Employer’s Point Of View.” BRZEZINKI: “So are we at the point where women employees who are mothers aren’t as valuable, because we have kids and we balance other things? Or does having children actually increase our value?” TRUMP: “I think the most important thing is the children, and frankly [caring for them means taking] time away, and an employer could say she’s not giving one hundred percent, she’s giving me eighty-four percent, and sixteen percent is going towards taking care of children. So maybe you can also understand the employer’s point of view.” [Mika Brzezinski, Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, And Getting What You’re Worth, p. 161, 2011; Huffington Post, 5/25/16]

Trump: Pregnancy Was “Certainly An Inconvenience For A Business.” “In an October 2004 interview with NBC’s Dateline, Trump said pregnancy is ‘a wonderful thing for the woman, it’s a wonderful thing for the husband, it’s certainly an inconvenience for a business. And whether people want to say that or not, the fact is it is an inconvenience for a person that is running a business.’” [NBC News, 5/26/16]

2011: Trump Called A Lawyer Who Requested A Break From A Deposition To Pump Breast Milk “Disgusting,” Before Ending His Testimony And Leaving The Room. “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump once called a lawyer who requested a break from a 2011 deposition to pump breast milk ‘disgusting’ before ending his testimony and leaving the room. ‘He got up, his face got red, he shook his finger at me and he screamed, ‘You’re disgusting, you’re disgusting,’ and he ran out of there,’ Beck told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on Wednesday morning, calling it ‘an absolute meltdown.’” [CNN, 7/29/15]

December 2015: Donald Trump Dismissed A Question About Child Care: “It’s A Big Subject, Darling… She Wants To Know My Thoughts On Child Care. Come On, We’ll Talk For About 10 Hours.” “When Trump was asked about child care late last year by a member of the women’s policy organization Make It Work, he mocked the questioner: ‘It’s a big subject, darling,’ he said. ‘She wants to know my thoughts on child care. Come on, we’ll talk for about 10 hours.’” [Vox, 7/21/16; Press Availability, Council Bluffs IA, 12/16/15]

UPDATE (9/14/2016): Today, Hillary for America’s senior policy advisor Maya Harris responded to Donald Trump’s new proposals:

“With 56 days left in this campaign, Donald Trump has finally decided to talk policy and it’s everything we’ve expected it to be: out of touch, half-baked, and ignoring the way Americans live and work today.  His ‘maternity leave’ plan is demeaning and damaging as it’s only available to women, not sufficient to provide support to working families and paid for by raiding unemployment insurance.  His so-called child care plan could only be the brainchild of someone living in the penthouse of Trump Tower, leaving millions of middle class and working families with no support or pennies on the dollar while carving out a regressive tax break to pay for nannies and private schools.  The choice could not be more clear between Hillary Clinton’s comprehensive paid family leave and childcare plans geared toward the needs of 21st century families and Donald Trump’s 11th hour giveaway to wealthy families like himself.”

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton’s comprehensive child care plan and a family leave plan put children and working families first.

Here are three key take-aways from his maternity leave plan:

1. Trump’s plan would not provide enough support to working families for them to actually afford forgoing wages and taking time off. Trump admits that under his maternity leave plan, a woman would receive “much less” than her “regular paycheck.” Unlike comprehensive and effective paid family leave proposals, Trump’s plan does not guarantee workers a portion of their wages while on leave, rather workers would receive an undefined percentage of unemployment insurance. In Florida, for example, this means a mother would only receive, at most, $275 per week.

2. Trump’s proposal only covers women, which is both demeaning and harmful. Trump’s plan casts women as the sole child caretaker and actually encourages employers to discriminate against women. Studies have shown that providing paid leave to new mothers, but not to new fathers, negatively affects women’s return to the workplace, can discourage employers from hiring or promoting female employees, and can increase the gender pay-gap. By only providing leave to new mothers, Trump’s plan also undercuts working dads, including gay couples and single-fathers.

3. Trump’s plan is paid for on the backs of Americans most in need of support: those who have recently lost their job. By cutting unemployment insurance to pay for his proposal – rather than asking the wealthy to pay their fair share – Trump would put working families at risk. Trump’s false claims to the contrary, Hillary’s plan to actually provide working families paid family and medical leave is fully paid for by making the wealthy pay their fair share and puts no additional costs on businesses.

Here are three key take-aways from his child care plan:

1. Close to 80% of families might, at most, get only four cents on the dollar — and millions of these families could very well get nothing. As Trump clarified in a new fact sheet about his plan, Trump’s new plan requires “no double dipping” with “benefits already provided for child care expenses.” Under current law, working families are already eligible for a 20% (or higher) tax credit for child care expenses. Since families can’t “double dip,” the 76% of families (around 38 million in total) in the 15% tax bracket or below might not benefit at all from Trump’s plan. That’s because the 20% they can deduct under current law is higher than the amount they could deduct against their tax bracket under Trump’s proposal. And at best, the families within this category that don’t take advantage of the existing credit, would likely get a paltry 4 cents on the dollar from Trump’s plan (up to half of payroll tax expenses).

The example family that Trump cites might not actually benefit from his plan: For example, Trump’s plan states “For a family earning $70,000 per year in the 12 percent tax bracket with $7,000 in child care expenses, the deduction would reduce taxes by $840 per year.” However, this family could likely get a tax credit of $1,200 under the current law Child and Dependent Care Credit if they have two kids – meaning the family Trump is citing does not appear to benefit from Trump’s own plan.

2. Trump’s plan could actually bring down the quality of childcare for working families. By making child care less expensive for wealthy families, while doing close to nothing for millions of middle class Americans, Trump’s plan could actually increase economic segregation by family income in the child care setting. Decades of early learning research shows the negative impact of such segregation on children.

3. Trump’s plan creates a new, regressive tax break for expensive nannies, and other spending for the most fortunate. The highest-earning families, like millionaires in the top bracket, could deduct 40 cents on the dollar for spending on private schools, nannies and other expenses they don’t need a tax break for. For example, a high-income family putting $2,000 into a savings account would get almost a $800 tax break. A middle-class family who put in $2,000 might only get $300 if they were in the 15% tax bracket. And even lower-income families eligible for a match would get less than the highest earning families.

Reviews of the plan are in:

Esquire: Why Donald Trump’s New Child-Care Plan Is a Joke

“Donald Trump’s track considers breastfeeding—and Hillary Clinton’s bathroom breaks—’disgusting.’ It thinks a woman’s opinion is disqualified if she has ‘blood coming out of her wherever.’ In 1994, Trump said, ‘Putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing.’ In 2004, Trump said a pregnant employee was ‘certainly an inconvenience for a business.’ Trump’s been barreling down that darkly lit tunnel for years. Then, when convenient, he flips on his high beams for a few seconds.”

Quartz: Trump’s childcare and maternity leave policy is unlike his actual treatment of and statements about women

“Once, a lawyer who was deposing Trump in a lawsuit over a failed real estate venture asked for a medical break to pump breastmilk for her 3-month-old baby. Trump and his lawyers insisted the deposition go on. When she put her pump on the table, Trump said to her ‘You’re disgusting,’ and stormed out of the session. In 1994, Trump famously compared his wives to buildings, and said he had mixed feelings about them working.”

Vox: Donald Trump’s plan to fund a paid family leave program is totally absurd

“Hillary Clinton’s plan to offer 12 weeks of leave at two-thirds of a worker’s previous salary would cost $300 billion over 10 years. Even assuming Trump’s is much less generous, offering six weeks instead of 12 and a smaller fraction of salary, there isn’t enough unemployment fraud in the United States to come close to paying for it.”

CAP: Don’t Be Fooled by Trump’s Smoke and Mirrors on Child Care and Paid Leave

“Unfortunately, Trump’s latest attempt to appeal to everyday workers is a new coat of paint on a tired message. Wealthy people like Trump and his children benefit the most, while working parents struggle to make ends meet. At face value, Trump’s plans appear to address the lack of paid leave and growing cost of child care. But when you look beneath the surface, these plans do not actually support working families. Trump announced four proposals.”

Salon: Trump’s child-care policy: A combination of the useless and the inadequate

“Donald Trump will stop by Aston, Pennsylvania, this evening to lay out a more fully developed version of the child-care policy he teased about last month. Going by early indications, it looks like the Republican’s proposal is a mix of useless and inadequate policies that won’t really fix the problem of wildly expensive child care.”

Huffington Post: Donald Trump Just Radically Broke With Republicans On Maternity Leave; But his proposal may actually lead to increased discrimination against women.

“By limiting this benefit to  mothers, Trump is inadvertently incentivising employers to discriminate against women, said Carmel Martin, a vice-president for policy at the Center for American Progress. ‘Conservative economists have acknowledged that limiting benefits to mothers creates an incentive for employment discrimination and an increased gender wage gap,’ she said.”

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News Source: The Washington Post