Topline
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday announced Democratic leaders will introduce an amendment to include four weeks of paid family and medical leave in a newly proposed social spending bill, doubling down on a key policy item that failed to make into a downsized package given opposition to heightened spending from two Democratic senators.
Key Facts
In a letter to House Democrats, Pelosi said an amendment to include the paid leave in Democrats' Build Back Better proposal would be introduced and voted on by the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.
In a separate statement, Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said the means-tested program would be "fully" paid for with taxes collected from the package and pledged to do "whatever is necessary" to get the provision signed into law.
Pelosi also acknowledged "opposition" from an unnamed senator but said Democrats "must strive to find common ground in the legislation," likely referring to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who's thus far rejected a paid leave program due to its hefty price tag and concerns it could entice fraud.
As part of their massive $3.5 trillion proposal, which was downsized after weeks of intra-party negotiations, Democrats in August proposed creating a national paid family and medical program to provide a total of 12 weeks of leave per year for parental, family care and personal illness to workers.
Key Background
Following months of negotiations with spending-hesitant moderates, Biden last Thursday unveiled a new social spending proposal aimed at “restoring the middle class” by tackling many of Democrats’ policy priorities—including free universal preschool for children and an expanded child tax credit—while removing several others to lower the overall price tag. In addition to paid family and work leave, two years of tuition-free community college was also completely removed from the proposal. Though the White House has touted its framework as a deal among Democrats, it has yet to garner explicit approval from Democrats who have thus far withheld support for a big spending package, namely Sens. Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who has also refused to support a $3.5 trillion price tag.
Crucial Quote
“For far too long, American workers have had to make the impossible choice between providing for their families and caring for them," Neal said Wednesday. "The Ways and Means Committee crafted a policy that will finally give workers and their families the peace of mind of knowing that when disaster strikes, they can rely on paid leave to avoid total crisis."
Further Reading
Biden Unveils New Social Spending Proposal—Here's What Remains After $2 Trillion In Cuts (Forbes)
