President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, was optimistic on Sunday about the future of paid family leave, saying the recent extension for government workers is a step in the right direction.
During an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Ms. Trump, an adviser to the president, said paid family leave is a bipartisan cause on Capitol Hill but old ideas on how to implement it have “stalled” coalition-building to get it done.
“If we want to deliver relief to working parents who need this, we need to come up with new, fresh solutions,” she said. “So we’ve been working with Republicans, with Democrats on proposing alternatives. And what has become incredible is that people aren’t debating anymore whether or not paid family leave is good policy. They’re debating what’s the best policy.”
Democrats are looking at proposals that would increase payroll taxes, which Republicans vehemently disagree with. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s bill to allow families to use social security funds for paid leave was also met with a wave of criticisms.
However, Ms. Trump said the administration is keeping its options open and considering proposals from across the aisle to see what could get enough votes to actually become law.
Supporters of the policy did have one victory recently, with the National Defense Authorization bill guaranteeing government workers 12 weeks of paid leave if they gave birth, adopted or took in a new foster child.
Ms. Trump said the policy was a “huge step forward in providing paid leave to all Americans, which is our ultimate objective.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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