Our fight to ensure the dignity, security, and well-being of those who have been most marginalized is far from over, and CLASP is ready to meet the moment.
By Rachel Wilensky and Stephanie Schmit On March 15, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 into law. The law decreased nondefense spending by $13 billion but kept spending levels the same as fiscal year (FY) 2024 for many…
Families are already struggling with higher costs of living, and the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill will only increase the costs of health care, food, and everyday necessities. The bill's text affirms that at its core, this is legislation that will drain money from the families…
By Mariah Thomas (EXCERPT) Alyssa Fortner works as a policy analyst for the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), a D.C.-based “nonpartisan, anti-poverty nonprofit advancing policy solutions to improve the lives of people with low incomes.” When it comes to child care, the center aims…
By Rachel Wilensky, Karla Coleman-Castillo, and Wendy Cervantes In the four months since inauguration, the Trump Administration has leveled a staggering number of threats on social programs–from executive orders to funding freezes and staff layoffs–that are already harming child care and early learning programs. These…
By Stephanie Schmit (op-ed) (EXCERPT) All of us want our kids to get a fair start in life. And for millions of American families, that start has come from the federal Head Start program. But unfortunately, President Donald Trump has frozen Head Start funds, laid…
CLASP submitted this statement for the record in response to the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions “Hearing on Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget.” Read statement here.
CLASP submitted this statement for the record in response to the May 14, 2025 “Budget Hearing-Health and Human Services” of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations.
By Robin Buller (Excerpt) Stephanie Schmidt, the director of childcare and early education at the Center for Law and Social Policy, emphasized that the average cost of infant care in the US is $14,000 per year, with that number ticking up to closer to $25,000…
By Alyssa Fortner Child care enables parents and caregivers to participate in the workforce, attend school and training programs, and take care of other responsibilities while their children are cared for in safe and stable early education programs. Despite its value, child care has historically…