July 14, 2017
House Democrats urged President Trump to reconsider his paid family leave plan in a letter criticizing it "because it only provides six weeks of paid leave for limited circumstances and without a solid funding mechanism." The Democrats proposed instead offering 12 weeks of paid medical and parental family leave, as found in a Democrat-sponsored bill titled The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act (H.R.947). The bill currently has an all-Democrat roster of 135 cosponsors. The letter shows Democrats may be willing to work with the Administration on the paid leave issue, but on their terms, which may constitute a bridge too far for significant Congressional Republican support and, consequently, result in continued stalemate at the federal level. Meanwhile, paid family and medical leave measures continue to proliferate in the states, a strategy which activists hope will encourage federal legislation in the long run.
