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MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: Military spending is certainly one area that is getting a lot of attention right now on Capitol Hill, but “kitchen table” issues are also a growing area of focus. From the Marketplace Work and Family Desk, Hillary Wicai has more.

HILLARY WICAI: How to juggle work obligations with family needs has been on people’s minds for years.

Now, Senators Christopher Dodd, a Democrat, and Arlen Specter, a Republican, are expected to launch the Senate Caucus on Children, Work and Family.

In their letter inviting other Senators to join them, Dodd and Specter wrote, “Workplace policies play an integral role in the lives of families.”

Analyst Ellen Galinsky has been studying families for 20 years

ELLEN GALINSKY: Most people have thought of it as an individual problem. The momentum to create a caucus on children, work and family is an acknowledgement and we’re saying ‘yes, this is a societal issue, it effects more than you and me.’

A kick-off event for the new Senate Caucus will be held soon.

In Washington, I’m Hillary Wicai for Marketplace.