New regulations for au pairs shed light on Biden’s disregard for the middle class.

Parents who rely on the au pair program for child care can now relax, as the Biden-Harris administration has decided to step back from its plan to make changes to the program following public feedback. Over 10,000 comments were received, leading to this decision.

Despite this temporary relief, families hosting au pairs should remain cautious. The State Department intends to revisit and publish revised regulations in January 2025. If a Harris-Walz administration takes over, these regulations may resemble the ones proposed earlier.

The au pair program, established in 1986, is an exchange program run by the State Department, allowing au pairs to provide child care in exchange for cultural exchange and educational opportunities in the US. Estimates suggest there are around 20,000 au pairs in the US currently.

Even though there is satisfaction with the program among current au pairs and alumni, the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed changes last fall raised concerns about affordability for host families.

While the administration claimed the changes were necessary to provide protections similar to those for domestic workers, feedback from families expressed fears that the program might become unattainable for middle-class Americans.

In a recent speech, Vice President Kamala Harris discussed the importance of making child care more affordable as part of her plan to strengthen the middle class and the care economy. However, the proposed changes to the au pair program would have gone against this goal for many Americans.

Host families for au pairs cover various expenses such as housing, utilities, and more in addition to the program fees. The proposed changes would have significantly increased the costs for families, further burdening them.

Former President Donald Trump could use this situation to his advantage by criticizing Harris for trying to alter a program that has been valuable to families for years. He could even propose expanding the program to include senior care to benefit even more Americans.

An expansion to include senior care could allow elderly Americans to age in place with the help of au pairs, providing support with daily tasks at no cost to taxpayers.

The au pair program provides a unique and affordable solution for working parents, with some referring to their au pairs as modern-day Mary Poppins. Politicians should aim to give more families the opportunity to experience this type of support rather than limiting it.

Kelsey Bolar is the director of storytelling at Independent Women’s Forum (iwf.org).