Americans Footing Bill for Substandard Child Care

(CNN) Every day, child care for thousands of American children occurs in places with substandard and unsafe conditions, too often with caretakers who have not passed background checks.

And the American taxpayer is footing the bill.

In 2015 alone, the U.S. government spent about $5.4 billion to help states, territories and tribes subsidize child care for low-income working families. Every month, the government's Child Care and Development Fund underwrites the care of nearly 1.5 million children from low-income families so their parents can work or attend school.

Can families trust that child care providers receiving these subsidies offer a safe environment for children? Can taxpayers trust that their money underwrites only child care that meets adequate health and safety standards?

Unfortunately, the answer is no, as auditors from my agency, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, discovered

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