Biden's Social Spending Bill Takes Blow as Democrats Remove Paid Family Leave in the Package
President Joe Biden's social spending bill took a blow on Wednesday after the Democrats scrap the family paid leave on the package, as they work to narrow down the bill and secure the said agreement.
A source close to Senator Joe Manchin's firm opposition told New York Post that parental family leave will likely not be in the final bill. However, many members are pushing Manchin to support the measure, which President Biden also campaigned for.
The move came after Manchin raised his opposition to include the guaranteed paid leave in the social spending bill or the social safety net bill, NBC News reported.
READ NEXT: Meghan Markle Writes a Letter to U.S. Congress Advocating Paid Parental Leave
Originally, President Joe Biden sought 12 weeks of federally subsidized paid leave for workers to take care of new children or sick family members. However, the paid leave was scaled down to four weeks before it was scrapped by the Democrats altogether.
"What is important for people to understand here and now is: from the beginning, we have said that the president was open to compromise," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a meeting on Wednesday.
Psaki went on to say that Biden understands that "you're never going to get every single thing you want in the package," mentioning the president's 36 years of experience in legislation.
Reactions on the Removal of Paid Family Leave
Reactions surfaced as the Democrats moved to scrap the paid family leave on President Biden's social spending bill.
Laura Nafresky, counsel on education and workplace justice at the National Women's Law Center, said that she can't imagine why Congress decided to set aside paid leave in the bill.
"It is still a little inconceivable to me that after 18 months - and everything we saw during the course of pandemic - that we are hearing that Congress is going to leave paid leave for another day," Nafresky said. She added that the U.S. cannot recover "holistically" if the government would not provide what working families need.
"Paid family and medical leave is a benefit that touches everyone," Nafreska pointed out.
Meanwhile, Think Tank New America's Paid Leave Expert Vicki Shabo mentioned that the decision of the Democrats to remove the paid leave in the bill is a blow to the American families.
"This was a once in a generation opportunity to build on Family and Medical Leave Act to finally bring the promise of paid leave to the U.S., to end its outlier status," Shabo said.
To date, federal workers currently get 12 weeks of paid parental leave. However, private sectors have their paid leave depending on the state or the employer.
Experts Say Paid Family Leave a GameChanger
If paid leave is passed, experts think that it will be a game-changer in the labor force, especially the involvement of females.
Economists argue that a federal paid leave policy could boost female participation in the workforce and make it easier for new mothers to return to work, FOX 17 reported. Moreover, the leave would also benefit people of color and low-wage workers.
"It would disproportionately benefit women, low-wage workers, including those who have been at the frontline of the pandemic," Shabo said. She added that people who are also a "paycheck away" from harm when they need to care for their family would also experience the benefit.
Until the bill is printed, I will continue working to include #PaidLeave in the #BuildBackBetter Agenda.
— Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (@gillibrandny) October 27, 2021
Despite being removed in Biden's social spending bill, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand pledged that she will continue to work in including paid leave in the agenda until the bill is printed.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Paid Family Leave, Billionaire Tax Likely Cut From Spending Bill Over Manchin Opposition - From PBS NewsHour
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!