Page 3 - aruba-today-20230321

A3
U.S. NEWS Tuesday 21 March 2023
WH economic report: Money for child care would help growth

By JOSH BOAK but workers at child care
Associated Press centers are often paid so
WASHINGTON (AP) — The poorly that many of them
White House is making the leave their jobs and cause
case for more government a shortage of available
support for child care pro- support. The latest Labor
grams in an economic re- Department data shows
port being released Mon- that child care workers
day, drawing on extensive earn $17.95 an hour, about
research to say additional 36% less than the average
spending would improve non-supervisory worker in
kids’ lives, increase the the U.S. economy.
quality of early childhood This analysis recommends
schooling and enable greater government fund-
more women to hold jobs. ing to make child care
The analysis dovetails with more affordable for fami-
President Joe Biden’s politi- lies and also to raise the
cal messaging as ideologi- pay of workers in that sec-
cal lines are being drawn tor, which would help to
for the 2024 election. Dem- improve the quality of the
ocrats have sought to put care. Many Republicans
a greater focus on Repub- are skeptical about the
lican lawmakers who have Council of Economic Advisers Chair Cecilia Rouse, right, accompanied by White House press benefits of more govern-
restricted access to abor- secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, left, and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda ment aid for child care,
tions in the wake of last Young, center, speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, March 10, which they have criticized
year’s Supreme Court de- 2023. for being part of a cultural
cision and called for man- Associated Press agenda instead of a finan-
dating that impoverished policy victories and chal- ings, meaning that parents if not more. The spending cial one.
parents be employed in or- lenges in the U.S. economy. are better off staying un- increases the likelihood House Speaker Kevin Mc-
der to receive government “The president’s approach employed or working part- of kids staying in school Carthy, R-Calif., has ar-
aid. is that we need to be in- time even if doing so can and staying employed as gued that deficit reduc-
The administration is also vesting in our children, be- diminish their long-term adults, which helps to boost tion would be the better
making a fuller case that cause we know that pays earning potential. This re- economic growth, reduce policy choice because it
its policies on children for itself multiple times flects a problem in the U.S. crime and eventually lower could help families by low-
and families are better for over,” said Cecilia Rouse, economy that the private their reliance on govern- ering inflation. When the
overall economic growth, chair of the Council of Eco- sector has been unable to ment programs. A recent Commerce Department
not just in terms of social nomic Advisers. fix on its own, leading to the study cited in the analy- recently announced that
fairness. The White House Rouse added that govern- Biden administration’s push sis shows that the benefits large computer chip man-
Council of Economic Ad- ment support for child care for greater government in- are intergenerational and ufacturers needed to offer
visers put together the 28- would help ensure a “ro- volvement. extend to the children of affordable child care as
page analysis on child care bust labor force” because The analysis draws on stud- those who received child part of receiving govern-
as part of its broader annu- parents are often prevent- ies showing that each dol- care. The analysis also ad- ment aid, some Republi-
al economic report of the ed from working due to its lar invested in early child- dresses the market failures can senators accused the
president. The report is typi- costs. Child care expenses hood education can pro- with child care in the U.S. Biden administration of so-
cally a summary of trends, can overwhelm their earn- duce a return of $7 to $12, Not only is it expensive, cial engineering.q

Last wild Atlantic salmon can survive

Maine dams, feds say

By PATRICK WHITTLE said Monday that the dams century, the agency said.
Associated Press are not likely to jeopardize The agency reviewed the
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — the continued existence of dams because Brookfield
The federal government the salmon if conservation is seeking to relicense one
ruled Monday that the last measures are taken. of them and amend the li-
wild Atlantic salmon in the Conservation measures censes for three others, said
country can coexist with along Brookfield’s four Ken- NOAA spokesperson Allison
hydroelectric dams on a nebec dams are designed Ferreira. NOAA said in a
Maine river, dealing a blow to improve fish passages statement that it will “over-
to environmentalists who and will require an invest- see an extensive monitor-
have long sought to re- ment of more than $100 ing program to ensure that The Weston Dam holds back the Kennebec River on Sept. 14,
move the dams. million by Brookfield, NOAA the dams meet the expec- 2021, in Skowhegan, Maine.
The salmon, once abun- said. tations of improved fish Associated Press
dant in the U.S., now return The dam upgrades would passage in the Kennebec ture and traditional indus- threaten extinction of the
to only a few Maine rivers. allow the salmon to swim River.” tries along the lower Ken- salmon, and NOAA’s ruling
One is the Kennebec River, up the Kennebec from the NOAA’s opinion “is an im- nebec River,” said David is shortsighted.
dammed by Brookfield Re- Atlantic Ocean to freshwa- portant milestone in en- Heidrich, a spokesperson They also said the dams
newable Energy Partners. ter inland habitats for the suring that these facilities for Brookfield. endanger other vulnera-
The National Oceanic and first time since the construc- can continue to support However, environmen- ble species of fish, such as
Atmospheric Administration tion of the dams in the 19th Maine’s clean energy fu- tal groups said the dams sturgeon.q