Democrats have been framing child care as a key issue for them heading into the midterms. "Child care continues to get more expensive," said Jaelin O'Halloran, a DNC spokesperson. "While Trump and Republicans have offered no plans to follow through on their promises to lower costs, Democrats are focused on bringing down costs and making life more affordable for working families." 

"House Republicans are waging a war on the American family — slashing food assistance for kids, health care for families, and billions in education programs," said DCCC spokesperson Aidan Johnson. "The DCCC will ensure voters remember that when they head to the polls this November."

The problem with the Democratic argument is structural: their solutions boil down to subsidies to make things more "affordable." 

The Trump administration thinks that's precisely the wrong prescription and has proposed a plan that largely relies on deregulation rather than subsidies.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the Department of Health and Human Services is rolling out a sweeping package of new rules and guidance to expand child care choices and reduce costs by streamlining regulations. A notice of proposed rulemaking tied to the effort is set to be finalized within the week, and governors and state legislatures are receiving letters urging them to implement the reforms in ways that directly benefit local families.

The administration frames the effort as a direct response to what one White House official calls a "major cost crunch" facing families with young children. The approach is deregulatory by design, targeting the thicket of compliance requirements, credentialing mandates, and licensing barriers that drive up operating costs for providers — costs that ultimately land on parents.