'Not possible for us to take care of daycare': Donald Trump invites criticism over war comments

President Donald Trump stirred up controversy in a recent address, stating that the administration could not afford to pay for daycare, Medicaid, or Medicare. Instead, he said that the United States was a big country that needed to focus on the wars it was fighting. He also claimed that states should be paying for those services. Trump's statement comes as the war in Iran entered its second month, and a major fallout has been the increasing gas prices. Speaking at a White House Easter event on Wednesday, Trump said, "We can't take care of daycare. We are a big country. We are 50 states. We have all these other people who are fighting wars. We can't take care of daycare, you got to let states take care of daycare," Trump said. 

Trump also claimed that states should pay for daycare. "They have to raise their taxes, but they should pay for it. We could lower our taxes a little bit to them, but it's not possible for us to take care of daycare. Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis, we can't do it on a federal...we havce to take care of one thing: military protection," the President said. His comments have, however, invited strong criticism from Democratic lawmakers. Slamming the president for prioritizing war over social welfare, House Democrats said in a post on X, "Trump cares more about funding his costly war than the needs of the American people.

President Trump has advocated for cuts in several social welfare funds. As per a Newsweek report, Trump said that he hoped to "get to it" when it comes to ending federal funding for child care. "We can balance the budget. We can have a surplus if you can stop that. And that does not include Medicare, Medicaid—that's even bigger," he said. Trump also said that he asked Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought not to send any money for daycare. "I said to Russell, 'Don't send any money for day care because the United States can't take care of day care,'" the President said. Trump's war against the federal government paying for child care erupted in Minnesota in late December after a YouTuber alleged fraud. It led to the Republican-led administration announcing a freeze on child care subsidies in Democratic states.

However, as per an NPR report, the announcement led to a lawsuit that prevented the freeze. The fraud allegations have given the Republicans grounds to repeal the Child Care and Development Fund, which was started by former President Joe Biden. The program requires states to pay child care subsidies in advance and via an enrollment model. Whether Trump's agenda succeeds and he is able to repeal the law is yet to be seen.