How states can address childcare affordability

July 7, 2026

Image depicting a childcare provider or teacher with a group of children. Photo credit: Shutterstock.

How states can address childcare affordability

More than 4 million U.S. families with young children struggle to make ends meet because of childcare costs, which are skyrocketing faster than inflation. At the same time, federal childcare subsidization is hamstrung by insufficient funding, prohibitive eligibility standards, and misaligned affordability thresholds.

In the second installment in the Brookings States of Affordability series, Glencora Haskins examines the economic impact of childcare costs on American families and explains why states may need to play a larger role in ensuring childcare affordability.

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US engagement on AI and trade

From Geneva: AI, security, and the U.S.-China dialogue. Reducing AI risks will require sustained engagement between the United States and China alongside broader cooperation among governments, industry, academia, and multilateral institutions. In a special episode of The Beijing Brief recorded on the sidelines of the United Nations Global Conference on AI, Security, and Ethics, Ryan Hass and David Edelman discuss how ongoing dialogue can help lower the risk of unintended escalation and shape emerging approaches to global AI governance.

The first review of the USMCA agreement. As the United States, Mexico, and Canada complete the first-ever review of the USMCA agreement, it offers an opportunity to assess not only whether the review occurred as planned, but whether it fulfilled its institutional purpose of keeping the agreement current and politically sustainable. Maricarmen Barron Esper and Christopher Sands outline what the review revealed and how future reviews can better modernize the agreement, strengthen certainty, and build confidence in North American trade.

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