Democratic National Committee head Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said Wednesday that Marco Rubio’s proposed paid leave program would hurt women and families.
“It’s really not surprising that we’re here again discussing another disastrous policy put forward by the Republicans,” Wasserman Schultz told reporters on a conference call, adding, “What Mario Rubio laid out for paid leave wouldn’t do a thing to help women and families.”
Rubio’s plan would give tax incentives to businesses that offer paid leave, but does not implement a federal mandate for paid leave, like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders would.
The DNC chairwoman spoke of her own personal battle with cancer, stating that every worker should be able to take paid leave when facing such a health crisis. Over 80 percent of Americans support paid leave, she claimed, and the United States is one of the only developed countries in the world without it.
Democrats gave Rubio some credit for thinking of the paid leave issue, but sharply criticized its lack of mandate.
“While there are a lot of great companies out there, it’s true that there are a lot of companies would not provide it,” DeLauro said. “This is no longer a fringe issue, it is part of the national discourse … and Republican presidential hopefuls are starting to pick it up. Now Marco Rubio says this is one of the big issues facing families today, but his policies don’t match up.”
