Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, says she is ready to speak out more on issues of particular relevance to women, starting with the lack of paid parental leave in the U.S.
Ernst, who is now the fourth-highest ranking Republican in the Senate, is working alongside a group of male GOP counterparts to write conservative legislation that would let new parents take paid time off from work after the birth or an adoption of a child.
“We have shared the same concerns about issues for years and years and years, we just maybe aren’t as vocal about those issues,” Ernst said of Republicans, speaking in the first interview in her new office. “Most of the conservative women I work with, they’re very modest. They don’t want to be out at the forefront. Some of those issues are very hard to talk about. I think now is the time. If we need to speak up, we need to speak up. We’ll find our way forward with our new voice.”
Democrats long have claimed paid family leave as their cause, but that has been changing — with the blessing of the Trump White House. Part of the reason for the shift is that Republicans believe they’ve found a conservative approach to paid family leave by letting new parents draw from Social Security early in exchange for delaying retirement.
It’s still a new development. Ernst described the effort as being in its “infancy stages” and said she didn’t yet have specific commitments from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. She stressed, however, that Republicans were gaining traction with the idea by presenting it as a boon to small businesses and to families who need time to bond with their infants.
“I don’t want to give any false hopes, because this will be a heavy lift,” she said. “But I think it’s one that we all think is very important. We have to find the right path going forward.”
Last year, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., proposed a bill to tap into Social Security, known as the Economic Security for New Parents Act. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., led the first hearing in almost four years on paid family leave. Republicans are expected to have at least three bills on the table by March: Ernst is teaming up with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to craft a bill, and Cassidy will introduce one of his own.
On Wednesday, the senators gathered to discuss their next steps in a meeting that also included Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Ivanka Trump, first daughter and senior White House adviser, who has advocated for paid leave regularly with lawmakers on both sides.
“I don’t think that different people working on different bills means you’re not united in purpose,” Cassidy said of the different proposals underway, all of which will use Social Security. “You bring different perspectives, and ultimately, you come to a common bill that has broader support.”
Rubio said in a statement that he was “committed to seeing this effort through.”
“Too many new parents, especially those with low incomes, take on new debt or fall onto welfare programs just to pay for their basic living costs after having a child,” he said.
The U.S. differs from other industrialized nations in that it has not set a mandatory or subsidized leave policy. Under the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, employers with 50 workers or more must allow 12 weeks of leave every year so they care for a new baby or an ailing relative, but in most cases, the leave isn’t paid. That means people often get back to work before they’re ready because they are unable to pay their bills otherwise.
“I think the United States is behind the times when it comes to paid family leave and what it means to people that are starting a family,” said Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., who is working on legislation in the House. “I know what it would have meant to me when I had my three children to have had those kinds of opportunities.”
Cassidy, who is also a gastroenterologist, said that he views providing parental leave as key to improving healthcare outcomes. He pointed to postpartum depression, dire statistics about infant mortality data in the U.S., and the importance of breastfeeding ― something that is a challenge to women who return to the workforce shortly after giving birth.
“We think paid parental leave addresses things that are important to Republicans,” Cassidy said. “We are pro-family. We are pro-family not just before the point of birth, but after the point of birth.”
Cassidy credits Ivanka Trump for helping to generate Republican support for paid leave.
“Anytime you pass a policy like this, there has to be some combination of policy, politics, and publicity, and she makes it high-profile, brings her father on, he talks about it at the State of the Union,” Cassidy said of Ivanka Trump.
Ivanka Trump said in an statement that Wednesday’s meeting had been productive.
“We are seeking to build consensus around policy that can garner enough votes to be passed into law and thank the senators on both sides of the aisle who are working together towards that goal,” she said.
Building that consensus won’t be easy. Some outside conservative groups have expressed caution about expanding the role of the federal government. Democrats, meanwhile, want a totally different version of the policy. A majority of Democrats in the Senate and House have backed the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, which funds up to 12 weeks of paid family leave through a payroll tax. That proposal is a nonstarter for Republicans, who say they favor a program that will be both voluntary and budget-neutral.
The Democratic plan also has a major provision Republicans aren’t considering: It allows for paid leave not just when families have a new child, but also when family members have to take time off to undergo a medical treatment or to care for a sick family member.
“We think paid leave should cover all workers for all life events,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination, said at a press event Tuesday as she re-introduced the Family Act.
Democrats point out that people are far more likely to take leave because they are sick or need to care for someone who is, and they have dismissed the idea of using Social Security to fund paid family leave. They contend families should not have to choose between their retirement and paid family leave.
“Welcome to the debate,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., on Tuesday as she re-introduced the paid family leave bill with Gillibrand. “This issue now is [at] the center of public discourse in this country.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article referred to the Family and Medical Leave Act when it was supposed to refer to the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
