Republicans rejected a motion in the Senate Wednesday to provide paid medical and family leave to federal workers, even though several members of the party have introduced paid parental leave bills this year.

Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii introduced a motion that would have instructed lawmakers to include the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act in the National Defense Authorization Act, saying that workers were abandoning government jobs for other careers that do provide leave. The provision, which was included in the House version of the defense bill, would apply to the 2 million employees who work for the federal government, allowing them to get paid when they take 12 weeks of sick or parental leave.