Tester Statement on $5.5 Million in American Rescue Plan Funding for Health Care Workers' Child Care Costs

Following news today that the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) allocated $5.5 million in funding secured by Senator Jon Tester through the American Rescue Plan to assist Montana health care workers with child care costs, Senator Tester released the following statement:

“Montana’s health care workers have sacrificed again and again to keep our communities safe and our economy open, and I’m proud to have secured this American Rescue Plan funding that will help lower the costs of childcare for the folks who have saved countless lives over the past two years. I’m glad the state is finally putting this federal funding to good use, and I’m going to keep working to make sure all Montana families can afford the childcare they need so that small businesses can keep creating good-paying jobs and our economy can continue to grow.”

According to DPHHS, eligible Montanans have at least one parent in the household who provides direct care services in one of the following categories: health care, behavioral health, disability services, or long-term care. A full list of eligibility requirements is available HERE.

Tester was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to vote in favor of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which provided this funding. Earlier this week, he announced $67,593,771.06 in Department of Health and Human Services funding for Montana rural health care providers and suppliers through the ARP to help mitigate the high cost of health care through the COVID-19 pandemic. He also secured $2.5 million in funding for the DPHHS to help vaccinate eligible children through last December’s government funding and COVID stimulus bill, and more than $1 million in CARES Act funding to support health care workings in the Billings and Missoula areas. Additionally he secured funding for Montana telehealth programs in the Coronavirus Assistance Recovery and Economic Security Act, and successfully fought for those provisions expanding access to telehealth to be made permanent.