The Federal Election Commission unanimously ruled Thursday that a female congressional candidate in New York can use campaign funds to pay for childcare while running for office.
Liuba Grechen Shirley, a Democrat who is running for New York’s 2nd Congressional District, asked the FEC to use donor contributions to cover the cost of childcare for her two young children, who are 2 and 3 years old.
Grechen Shirley, who is hoping to challenge Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., worked from home as a consultant and cared full-time for her two young children. Her husband works full-time. But upon launching her congressional campaign, the young mother had to hire a part-time caregiver to watch over her kids.
In its 4-0 ruling Thursday, the FEC said campaign funds can be used to pay for childcare expenses incurred during the congressional race because “such expenses would not exist irrespective of your candidacy.”
“I have a long track record of being very concerned with personal use issues but the request that you’ve made is tailored,” Ellen Weintraub, vice chair of the FEC, said during Thursday’s meeting. “We’re not creating a wholesale carve out for childcare. You still can’t use campaign funds for babysitting on date night, but to the extent that you need it and other candidates similarly situated in order to facilitate their campaign work, this answer, should we approve it, would allow campaign funds to be used for those expenses.”
Following the FEC’s vote, Grechen Shirley praised the actions of the commission and said it would prove to be a beneficial to other women and parents.
“WE WON! Thank you to the FEC Commissioners for their unanimous vote to approve our request to use campaign funds for childcare! This is a game changer for women and parents considering a run for office,” Grechen Shirley tweeted Thursday with a photo of her family outside the FEC.
WE WON! Thank you to the FEC Commissioners for their unanimous vote to approve our request to use campaign funds for childcare! This is a game changer for women and parents considering a run for office. pic.twitter.com/FUfrxXOmVS
— Liuba GrechenShirley (@liuba4congress) May 10, 2018
The commission has in the past permitted the use of campaign funds for childcare expenses in more limited cases. It allowed former Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La., to use donor contributions to cover “occasional” childcare costs incurred when he and his wife went to campaign events.
Two dozen members of Congress submitted a letter to the commission supporting the New York congressional candidate’s request, as did Hillary Clinton, whose lawyers wrote to the FEC on her behalf.
“Denying Ms. Shirley’s request would undermine the commission’s previous advisory opinions, discourage young mothers from seeking elective office, and deprive parents of ordinary means of the opportunity to serve,” Marc Elias and Courtney Weisman, Clinton’s lawyers, wrote.
Grechen Shirley’s primary is June 26.
