PL+US: State of the Union is "a tremendous opportunity" for Biden-Harris Admin to show support for paid leave

PL+US: State of the Union is "a tremendous opportunity" for Biden-Harris Admin to show support for paid leave

Feb 28 2022

Ahead of tomorrow's State of the Union, PL+US is releasing the below statement issuing a call for renewed support for a national paid family and medical leave policy.

Statement from Paid Leave for the U.S. (PL+US): 

"As our country faces instability abroad and challenges for working families at home, President Biden has a tremendous opportunity to seize the moment at the State of the Union and underscore his commitment to a national paid family and medical leave policy. Our hope is that the president uses the State of the Union as a moment to demonstrate his support for paid leave and call on Congress to work with the Administration to pass this critical policy.”

“Over the last year, because of the work of the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress, we’ve gotten closer to passing paid leave than we have in the 29 years since Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993. By highlighting the Administration’s commitment to paid leave from the most powerful podium in the world, President Biden can build on the tremendous momentum he helped create and work with Congress to pass a national policy.”

“Paid leave will support hardworking families and our economy and meaningfully improve the lives of millions of working people in America. Two years after the start of the global pandemic, there are more than 1 million fewer women in the workforce today than when the COVID crisis began, hurting household incomes and national economic growth. This is compounded by the fact that, even before the pandemic, women’s labor force participation in the U.S. was already far below our global economic peers. Paid leave is a policy that can address this stark reality, and it is a powerful tool for getting Americans back to work, ramping up the national supply chain, and tackling growing inflation and rising costs.” – Chrissy Blitz, Chief Strategy Officer, Paid Leave for the U.S. (PL+US)

This statement comes just a week after both PL+US and the Paid Leave for All coalition sent letters to the Biden-Harris Administration, including a specific request to create an inter-agency Paid Family Leave Task Force.