The Real Problem With Paid Family Leave Is How to Fund It
Republicans and Democrats agree it’s a worthy cause, but federal legislation is still years away.
Representative Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), center, and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), right, introduce their paid family leave legislation during a news conference with Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) on March 27, 2019, in Washington.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Masha Sapper had two weeks of paid family leave from her employer when her daughter Hannah was born 13 months ago. As a single parent, she was determined to spend the physician-recommended 12 weeks at home with her newborn, and relied on her built-up sick days to make up the difference. “I’m very lucky: I’ve been with that company for 15 years,” she says. “Nobody’s with their company for 15 years at the moment. And it took me that long to accrue a lot of sick time.”
Sapper was in Washington on April 30 for the third annual “Strolling Thunder” rally, advocating for paid family leave and affordable child care. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has long supported a federal paid leave proposal, made an appearance; so, notably, did Representative Ann Wagner, a Republican who represents a district just outside St. Louis. Wagner told the crowd that it was past time to tackle the demands and expense of child care. “We are, sadly, the only industrialized country that does not offer guaranteed paid maternity leave. That must change.”