Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., unveiled a new universal child care bill Monday, a week before the first Democratic presidential debates. Photo by Monika Graff/UPI | License Photo

June 18 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts introduced a new universal child care bill Tuesday with freshman Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico.

The bill would provide low-income families of four making 200 percent of the poverty line with free "high-quality, affordable" child care. The bill is similar to the one she proposed earlier in the year when she planned to use a new tax on those making more than $50 million annually to pay for it.


Fellow senator and presidential opponent Cory Booker, D-N.J., signed on the bill as a co-sponsor.

"As the wealthiest country in the world, access to affordable and high-quality childcare and early education should be a right for all families rather than a privilege for only the rich," Warren said in a statement.

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"Our legislation would guarantee all parents affordable access to safe and nurturing childcare and early learning opportunities for their kids," she continued.

Warren currently trails former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the latest Democratic presidential primary polls as the first debate between the candidates comes next week in Miami.

The bill seeks to ensure universal access to child care, guarantee affordability, give child-care workers quality pay and provide developmental services, along with pre-kindergarten.

"If we're going to get serious about ending the cycle of poverty in New Mexico and the entire country, we need to invest in universal child care and early learning," said Haaland, a first-term congresswoman who was ushered in during the wave of new Democratic women legislators in 2018.

"The bill Senator Warren and I are introducing today is a bold and comprehensive proposal to remove barriers so moms and dads can take those extra classes at the university or community college, or work to get that promotion without the burden of childcare on their shoulders while ensuring children have the care they need early in life," she added in her statement.