Paid Leave and the 2020 State of the Union Address

For media inquiries please contact Safiya Simmons at (414) 436-9536 or info@familyvaluesatwork.org

“During the State of the Union, President Trump is expected to claim credit for progress on paid leave, and attempt to position himself as a champion for working families. Such a claim flies in the face of reality. This Administration has already shown it is no friend of children and families. In fact, the family policies of this Administration are caging children and slashing school lunches and food stamps. 

“On the issue of paid leave for federal employees, thanks to the NDAA, many but not all federal employees will now be eligible for 12 weeks paid leave when they welcome a new child. The House considered the Federal Employees Paid Leave Act which would have provided paid family and medical leave to all federal employees for the full range of caregiving purposes. The President never supported this bill. He agreed to include something in the NDAA only at the last minute in exchange for a boondoggle he wanted, and even then allowed only a slice of it. 

“As for the paid leave he says he’ll deliver, the proposals the administration has put forward or says it supports constitute a shell game: taking money from programs working families rely on like unemployment insurance or social security or the child tax credit, excluding three-quarters of those needing family and medical leave, and not guaranteeing leave takers will have a job to come back to. He gives the top 1 percent huge tax cuts and giveaways for whatever they want, and offers working families a loan for a limited purpose. 

“A step isn’t progress if it goes in the wrong direction.

“The real champions in the fight for paid leave are the Members of Congress, local legislators, small business owners, and activists across the country who have continued to fight for an effective paid leave program and have passed one in 8 states and the District of Columbia, often with bipartisan support. Pending right now in Congress is bipartisan legislation, the FAMILY Act, a self-sustaining, evidence-based fund that would guarantee comprehensive paid leave to all. This is what this nation needs and deserves.

“Americans will not be fooled. If President Trump really wants to support paid leave for all, he should declare his backing for the FAMILY Act and work to remove any barriers to getting in passed in both chambers. The Family Values @ Work network is proud to be part of Paid Leave For All, the largest campaign ever working to win a national paid leave program. The momentum is on our side.”