Overview  >  Programs  >  Build and Care Initiative

Program 2: Build and Care Initiative

ADDRESSES: HOUSING AND CHILD CARE

What the program does

1. Housing supply incentives

Tie part of federal transportation and community development grants to local zoning reforms that allow more homes: smaller lots, accessory units and conversions of commercial buildings. Expand the low-income housing tax credit and add a starter-home construction credit.

2. Child care cost cap

Set a target that families pay no more than a fixed share of income for licensed care, funded through block grants to states that expand supply and raise provider pay. Expand the dependent care tax credit as a faster first step.

3. Renter and first-time buyer support

Down payment help for first-generation buyers, and emergency rental assistance for households hit by energy price shocks.

Design options

Zoning reform and other supply-side housing measures draw support across the spectrum. Child care help can be built as a tax credit, which conservatives tend to prefer, or as direct funding for providers, which progressives tend to prefer. A hybrid improves the odds of passage.

How we will measure success

Housing permits rising year over year in participating areas, and child care costs falling as a share of family income in participating states.

Explore the other programs

Previous: Program 1: Kitchen Table Relief Package

Next: Program 3: Health Cost Guarantee

All six programs

 

What Voters Want 2026. Working analysis, November 2026. Figures from election-day and pre-election surveys; projections may change as counting finishes.