Let’s face it – taking care of a sick loved one is hard. And don’t even get me started on the cost of it all. Even before the pandemic hit, parents were struggling to afford reliable childcare. And who feels the burden of it the most? Women and people of color, that’s who, according to the White House. Well, no kidding, Sherlock.

But it looks like President Biden is trying to do something about it. He’s ordered the federal departments to figure out how they can use all that money they’re in charge of to help workers get the care they need. That’s right – he’s putting the pressure on those agencies to do something, anything, to help the struggling folks out there. I mean, it’s about time, right?

During the signing ceremony, Biden gave a shout-out to all the caregivers out there. He told them they were doing God’s work taking care of our loved ones. I wonder if God has a 401(k) or a dental plan? Anyway, Biden emphasized that the issue of care is fundamental to our nation’s identity. And here we thought it was all about apple pie and baseball.

The president’s order is a huge expansion of a policy that was announced earlier this year. The Commerce Department decided it would be a good idea to make some corporate beneficiaries provide childcare to their workers. And now, Biden’s saying, let’s make more companies do this. Like, a lot more. The $1.2 trillion we spent last year to fix our infrastructure? Could be spent on helping workers pay for their parents’ nurse or their kid’s after-school care. Sweet!

Now, before you go crazy thinking this is a done deal, it’s not. Biden’s order tells agencies to study the matter, so who knows what will happen. But hey, at least he’s trying to do something, right? His advisers keep repeating that Biden wants legislation that expands pre-kindergarten and raises the wages of childcare workers. Good luck with that, guys. He put those proposals in last year’s budget, but Republicans gave him a big fat “no.”

Since then, it’s been like pulling teeth to get anything done. Republicans are in charge of the House, and they’re not too keen on new social safety net programs. They’ve even promised to get rid of some of the spending programs Biden’s put in place. Oh, joy. So, let’s just cross our fingers and hope that something gets done before we all go broke trying to take care of our loved ones.

Serious News: washingtonpost