One of the Biden administrations biggest legislative setbacks came when Democratic leaders had to give up on their caregiving agenda.

The idea had been to transform everyday life for tens of millions of Americans by guaranteeing access to child care and paid leave, as well as home care for seniors and people with disabilities. And while the concept enjoyed plenty of support among high-ranking officials, few (if any) made it as much of a priority as Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris had championed all three policies as early as the presidential transition, according to several sources inside and outside the White House who spoke with HuffPost. Later, Harris and her advisers advocated internally for including major new investments as part of what eventually became known as the Build Back Better legislation.

Her policy team really fought for it, said Ai-jen Poo , who, as president of the National Workers Alliance, worked closely with the administration. And when efforts to enact the reforms eventually came up short because two members of the Senate Democratic caucus wouldnt vote yes on the full legislative package, Harris made sure her allies knew the fight wasnt over.

The vice president personally said to me that she is really committed to moving this agenda forward, Poo said, that shes not going to give up, and we shouldnt give up, either.

At the time, it felt like a promise for what President Joe Biden might pursue in a second term if he got one. Now, with Biden stepping aside and Harris the Democrats presumptive 2024 nominee, Poo cites that statement as one of several signs Harris would make caregiving a priority if she wins in November.

That feels like a pretty good bet.

Election Day is less than four months away, Inauguration Day less than two months after that. But the unique circumstances of this campaign mean the elements of Harris prospective agenda are less clear than they normally would be at this point, at least by Democratic Party standards.

On the one hand, Harris is part of an incumbent administration, running on its record and previously announced plans for new initiatives. But while Harris has certainly helped to shape both, she has never been the ultimate decision-maker. Its safe to assume Harris has some different ideas about what to do or, at least, how to prioritize. Had there been a normal primary campaign, Harris would have sketched out that governing vision.

That never happened, and its probably not going to happen now. With her candidacy not even two weeks old, plus a running mate still to name and a convention still to stage, Harris doesnt have the time to put together a bunch of new policies, let alone introduce them with speeches, white papers and expert testimonials.

Her press team, meanwhile, isnt saying much about policy except to confirm that Harris is no longer committed to some of the more progressive positions of her 2020 presidential bid, like promising to ban fracking or promoting a kinda-sorta-Medicare-for-All plan.

Not that big new agenda pronouncements would get a ton of attention anyway. Threats to democracy and attacks on abortion rights are understandably much bigger preoccupations right now, and for much of the electorate, the most important thing about Harris is that she would fight both.

But Harris could win, putting her in a position to lay out a legislative agenda. And theres plenty of reason to think caregiving initiatives would be a bit part of that, including the fact that policy conditions in particular, the expiration of Trump-era tax cuts that could free up trillions in new funding could give Harris a shot at ambitious, even historic reforms if she has a willing Congress to go along.

She could walk away from that first term saying that I brought America its first paid family leave and universal pre-K, and a refundable child tax credit that basically ends child poverty thatd be a hell of a legacy, Bharat Ramamurti , former deputy director of the National Economic Council, told HuffPost. Thats really within grasp.

Voices For Women And For Caregivers

It wasnt that long ago caregiving was an afterthought in the political conversation, which had a lot to do with the conversations leaders.

Men were overwhelmingly the ones dominating the media, in charge of powerful interest groups and serving in elected office. If kids needed somebody to watch over them, or if an elderly or disabled relative needed care, that was a job for their wives and sisters and daughters and mothers or, maybe, women doing that work for salaries roughly equivalent to what parking lot attendants made. In any case, it was almost never a problem for the men in charge not at home, and not in the halls of power, either.