Hillary Clinton (file photo)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says it’s time to pay more attention to the “caring economy.”
She is proposing a new federal tax credit that would offset some of what people spend to care for an elderly or disabled relative.
“The bottom line for me is caregiving takes a lot of love,” Clinton says, “and a lot of challenging experiences that often test one’s emotional and physical well-being.”
Clinton also is proposing a recalculation of Social Security benefits for caregivers.
“All the time that people take out of paid work to care for a family member can end up putting a big dent in their retirement benefits,” Clinton says.
Clinton says it is predominantly women who leave the workforce to care for a spouse or a parent.
“I want to expand Social Security by taking into account the often overlooked and undervalued work of family caregivers,” Clinton says.
Clinton made her comments during a town hall meeting in Clinton, Iowa, today. About 400 people attended and Clinton told them her husband is a “fanatic” football fan who’s been following the Iowa Hawkeye’s winning season.
“Three weeks ago he goes: ‘You know, I think Iowa is really for real.’ And I said: ‘Yeah, it looks like it.’…And he goes: I’m wondering whether I can get there before the season’s over,'” Clinton said, laughing along with the crowd “And I said: ‘Well, let’s try to figure that out.'”
Iowa played its final home game this past Saturday. The undefeated Hawkeyes play their final regular season game at Nebraska on Friday.
(Reporting by Dave Vickers, KROS, Clinton; additional reporting by Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson)