Warner discusses bipartisan child care legislation, addresses surveillance pricing concerns during media availability
Virginia senator proposes tax credit to boost child care worker pay while criticizing Trump administration’s approach to federal workforce and consumer protection issues.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) announced Thursday he is introducing bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing the nationwide child care affordability crisis, while also criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of federal workforce issues and consumer protection measures.
Warner introduced the Child Care Supply Tax Act with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, targeting what he calls a key contributor to rising child care costs. The bill would provide tax credits directly to child care providers, with funds restricted to salary increases for workers rather than administrative costs or base pay improvements.
“Many times, childcare could cost almost as much as college, and yet at the same time, child care workers get paid so much lower than traditional work,” Warner said during his media availability from the U.S. Capitol. “Child care worker, a median pay is about $14 and 60 cents an hour. A more traditional worker, the average worker overall gets paid over $23 an hour. So almost a $10 differential.”
The legislation includes additional support for rural areas, where Warner says recruiting child care providers proves particularly challenging. Warner believes increasing provider pay will reduce turnover and ultimately translate to lower costs for families needing care.
Warner also addressed his ongoing efforts to combat surveillance pricing, a practice where companies adjust prices based on individual consumer data and demand patterns. He expressed particular concern about retailers potentially using personalized information during the holiday shopping season.
“We’re particularly concerned about this as well in terms of with Christmas shopping around happening real time right now, are retailers adjusting prices based upon personalized information about you as a consumer that doesn’t make sense, it’s not fair,” Warner said.
The senator criticized the Trump administration for shutting down a Federal Trade Commission study on surveillance pricing that the Biden administration had initiated. Warner and a bipartisan group of senators are pushing for the study’s results to be released while urging action against the pricing practice.
Warner also discussed two bills he introduced this week addressing black lung disease among miners. The Relief for Survivors of Miners Act focuses on increasing survivor benefits and reducing bureaucratic hurdles for widows and children of miners who die from the disease. The Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act aims to increase benefits for affected miners and make it easier for attorneys to represent these cases.
“We’re seeing younger and younger miners develop black lung. I’ve seen some folks develop it even in their 30s, and increased amounts of fine particulate silica that is causing this really devastating disease,” Warner said.
The senator highlighted the ceremony earlier this week, unveiling a statue of civil rights leader Barbara Rose Johns in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. Johns, a 16-year-old who led a walkout at Moton High School in Farmville, became part of the cases included in Brown vs. Board of Education.
“It really is a remarkable statute, a remarkable Virginian part of Virginia’s history, and I think representative of how far we’ve come,” Warner said of the ceremony, which drew nearly 800 attendees, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin and members of the Virginia delegation.
When asked about President Trump’s recent national address, Warner offered sharp criticism, calling it “a political screech from an angry man who’s increasingly disconnected from Americans.” He particularly criticized the president for not addressing the rising costs that Americans face daily.
“The idea that, you know, he’s trying to sell Americans that their costs have not gone up when they can see it at the grocery store, or they see it with their energy costs, or they see it with their housing or childcare costs, it was a pretty stunning missed opportunity,” Warner said.
Warner also expressed concern about the administration’s approach to federal workforce issues, particularly regarding air traffic controllers and FAA safety officials. He noted the country faces a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers while the administration threatens federal employees through various initiatives.
“What parent is going to say to their kid coming out of college, go work for the federal government, go work, work at the FAA, or go be an air traffic controller when you’re under this much stress and this much attack,” Warner said.
Regarding the recent DCA plane crash, Warner reiterated longstanding concerns about overcrowding at Reagan National Airport. He and Sen. Tim Kaine have repeatedly warned about jamming too many flights into the facility.
“While there was not a direct correlation between the increased flights and this crash, the system is overloaded. And we’ve been saying that for years,” Warner said.
The Senate unanimously passed aviation safety legislation Wednesday that maintains increased safety standards for military helicopter traffic around Reagan National Airport after someone attempted to roll back those requirements in the defense bill.
Warner also addressed artificial intelligence policy, warning about potential job displacement, particularly affecting recent college graduates. He noted that major firms are cutting first-year hires in half, with current unemployment among recent college graduates at 9%.
“I think that number could go to 25% within the next two to three years. If you have 25% of recent college graduates unemployed, that’s a huge cohort,” Warner said.
The senator emphasized the need for AI safety measures, job displacement solutions, and ensuring consumers don’t bear the costs of AI data centers’ enormous power needs. Virginia hosts more AI data centers than any other state.
Warner noted that this would likely be his final group media availability from Washington this year, though he plans to continue working next week despite Congress being out of session.