Bonamici Calls on Trump to Improve Paid Leave Proposal

WASHINGTON, DC [07/11/17] — Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) joined Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Lois Frankel (D-FL) in leading more than 100 Members of the House of Representatives in calling on President Trump to replace his flawed paid leave proposal with a policy that will help families who are struggling to make ends meet.

President Trump's limited paid leave proposal offers six weeks of paid leave to working families in a narrow set of circumstances. In May Bonamici slammed the Trump plan, calling it "woefully inadequate."

In the letter to Trump, Bonamici and colleagues discussed the challenges faced by working families and how to best support caregivers, new parents, and workers struggling with their own health issues. They also noted the potential for a paid leave policy to bring greater stability to our economy. House Democrats have introduced the FAMILY Act, a comprehensive and sustainable paid leave proposal that will provide important leave time for new parents and for workers who need to take care of themselves or their family when there is an injury or illness. This policy will give workers the flexibility they need to stay in the workforce instead of being forced out to provide needed care. Bonamici expressed concern with several aspects of President Trump's proposal, including its exclusion of medical leave and family caregiving. More than three-quarters of people who take family or medical leave do so to care for themselves or a sick family member. Further, the six week duration offered in the proposal is inconsistent with the twelve week national standard established for family and medical leave. The proposal also endangers the already overstretched unemployment insurance program without providing additional resources. The full letter is available here.

"For a thriving workforce and economy, working families need a meaningful paid family and medical leave program," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "The President's proposal is inadequate and fails to recognize millions of primary caregivers for elderly or sick family members. I implore the President to work with us to create a paid leave program that creates stability in the workplace, gives families the flexibility they need, and supports a healthy workforce."

Bonamici is an original cosponsor of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, which would give eligible employees partial wage replacement for up to 12 weeks per year. Under the FAMILY Act, workers could take paid leave for the same reasons that they can take unpaid leave now under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). FMLA covers workers when they have a serious health issue (including pregnancy or childbirth); when they care for a parent, spouse, domestic partner, or child; and when they care for a new child.

Andrea Paluso, Executive Director for Family Forward Oregon said, "We applaud Congresswoman Bonamici's support for a more comprehensive national paid family and medical leave plan. The Trump plan is woefully inadequate and will leave too many American families behind. We need a plan that gives us enough time to take care of our families when they need it most, without sacrificing a paycheck. Workers need the flexibility to welcome a new child, care for a loved one with a serious illness or injury, care for our elders or other loved ones at the end of their lives, and to recover from our own serious illnesses or injuries. Workers must be able to confront these significant family events without losing their wages. Caregiving - at all stages of our lives - is critically important and deserves recognition in any national paid family and medical leave proposal."

###