Joe Biden:

Twelve years is no longer enough today to compete with the rest of the world in the 21st century. That’s why my American Families Plan guarantees four additional years of public education for every person in America starting as early as we can. The great universities of this country conducted studies over the last ten years that shows that adding two years of universal high-quality preschool for every three-year-old and four-year-old no matter what background they come from puts them in a position to be able to compete.

Marisa Wojcik:

President Joe Biden talks about his plan to expand free public education in his first address to a joint session of Congress. So what is the reaction from Wisconsin’s congressional representatives to Biden’s robust agenda? We first turn to Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who represents Milwaukee and thank you so much for being here.

Gwen Moore:

Oh, it’s so great to be with you.

Marisa Wojcik:

As a female legislator that has marked many titles of being the first, what did it mean to you to hear President Joe Biden acknowledge that for the first time two women were behind him and that, “no president has ever said those words from this podium and it’s about time?”

Gwen Moore:

It is an unbelievable development and I think that those two women sitting there is a manifestation of where we have come in terms of the kind of public policy that we’re seeking. You know, one of the controversial parts of his rescue plan and family plan is to build infrastructure for child care. And why is this just now as urgent as it is? And I’ve had very nice gentlemen say, well, you know, I can see talking about lead pipes and broadband as infrastructure, but child care, you know? The problem of child care is a problem for women who need the services and it’s a problem for the workers who don’t get paid well. It’s a problem for business owners of child care centers who are entrepreneurial women. And I think it’s an equal protection clause that this president has leaned into. I think having lost his wife and child and becoming a single parent of two boys is really created a level of sensitivity to these kinds of issues as a president that is unprecedented.

Marisa Wojcik:

And as we heard a moment ago, the president unveiled the American Families Plan Wednesday night, which includes free preschool and community college, paid family leave, subsidized child care and protract the expanded child tax credit of monthly payments to low and middle-income families. Why are these four initiatives needed right now, at a cost of $1.9 trillion?

Gwen Moore:

Well, you get a much better return on this $1.9 trillion than you did the $1.9 trillion in Tax Cut and Jobs Act where 83% of that just went to rich people who bought stock back. I mean, $1.9 trillion, I mean just expanding the child tax credit will take 50% of African-American children out of poverty. I mean, think about the return on that investment. Child care, we’ve already discussed the dearth of that. And even women who are doing well in the workforce can’t afford the cost of good day care. Day care can almost cost as much as college tuition or private schooling. Preschool, the science is in. Birth through three is where it’s at. We can’t afford to not monetize the need to get ahold of these brains and start teaching children something earlier than that. I think the educational gaps we see have come from the lack of early learning, when the brain is more active and ready to engage. And so these are ideas whose time has come. And when you look at the polls, you can see that although there’s a lot of opposition from Republicans to the president’s agenda, he’s getting like 63%, 65% approval for these proposals. And so we’re moving from just sort of rescuing the economy to really building back better so that people are better off than where they were before.

Marisa Wojcik:

And the president laid out a lengthy policy wish list during his speech and said he wants to work with Republicans. In the Republican response however Senator Tim Scott called Biden’s speech empty platitudes that are only sowing more division. Democrats do only have a slim majority and is Biden sowing more division than unity with these really progressive and costly plans?

Gwen Moore:

Well, I just think it’s interesting that Republicans only care about debts and deficits and spending when Democrats are in charge. I mean, our deficit and spending grew under, believe it or not, Ronald Reagan, ultra-conservative. It grew under George W. Bush. Certainly Trump spent all he wanted and Republicans spent. I mean, they had the Tax Cut Jobs Act, which benefited the top, you know, 1% of Americans, created billionaires. And so now investing in people, investing in education, investing in our infrastructure is what we’re going to do with those monies instead of just pouring into folks who want to buy back their stocks. This is why Donald Trump used to brag about the stock market all the time. But the stock market is not the economy. The economy is me being able to go and buy my son or daughter a — new school clothes. That’s the economy.

Marisa Wojcik:

Representative Gwen Moore, we need to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us.

Gwen Moore:

Thank you for having me.