(Washington, D.C.) The following is a statement from Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center:

“We applaud Senator Murray for taking a critical step to make high-quality, affordable child care a reality for millions with the reintroduction of the Child Care for Working Families Act. Child care is the backbone of our economy but it is treated as a luxury, leaving families to struggle to find and afford care and early educators – nearly all women and disproportionately women of color – scraping by on poverty-level wages. By passing this legislation, Congress can ensure families and children have the necessary tools to thrive and move us one step closer to treating child care as a public necessity that is core to our country’s prosperity.”