The Trump Administration's paid parental leave proposal leaves out millions of people. It comes as we mark 25 years of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which was an important step but does not do enough to improve job quality for low-wage workers.
On the Family and Medical Leave Act’s (FMLA) 24th anniversary, CLASP commemorated progress while recognizing workers and their families need for far more support. This includes access to health insurance as well as the paid leave that enables them to use it.
President Trump has proposed a paid family leave program that leaves out millions of workers and undermines our unemployment insurance system. The proposal comes in the same budget that slashes our country’s safety net programs, which help low-income families stay employed.
The United States is long overdue in embracing policies that would make it easier for working families to both do their jobs and care for their families. In his first speech to Congress, President Trump expressed his desire to make child care affordable and ensure new parents have access to paid family leave. Unfortunately, his campaign promises and proposals to-date do little to advance public policy in these areas and run counter to getting help to those who need it the most.
New bill would create a federal paid family and medical leave insurance program enabling workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid time off to care for a seriously ill family member, bond with a new child, or address their own serious health issues.
The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act rides into Congress on an impressive wave of federal, state, local, and corporate momentum. The bill, which would create a national social insurance program enabling workers to take up to 12 weeks of partially paid leave to welcome a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or recover from their own illnesses, was reintroduced.
