This White House Does Not Stand for Families
By Ai-jen Poo, Fatima Goss Graves and Ellen Bravo
The problematic family policies of this White House come in technicolor and surround-sound. We see tiny children ripped from their parents’ arms and placed in cages, covered in foil blankets. We hear the sobs of a 6-year-old reciting her aunt’s phone number and begging officials to place the call.
The family policies of this White House come in the form of scissors, cutting food stamps, WIC and school lunch programs, pushing people out of Medicaid and other benefits, slashing support for military caregivers, diverting funds from child care for military families, reducing access to the Affordable Care Act, ending funding for Planned Parenthood.
For this administration, family policy is stamped in denials — of fair pay and workplace safety, of asylum for those fleeing violence, of entry for those from Muslim countries, of justice for those who are transgender, of protection for those experiencing racist attacks or school-based sexual assault.
So it’s not surprising that the White House wants to flip the switch and replace those realities with warm and fuzzy images of support for working families. They are trying to position themselves as the champions of paid family leave and child care.
But the people of this country are not so easily fooled.
On paid leave, the plan this administration offered is deeply flawed. It calls for six weeks of partial wage replacement restricted to parents of a new child. The states would have to foot the bill via already cash-strapped unemployment funds. Unemployment insurance generally provides about one-third of a person’s wages per week, putting the time out of reach for most families. Members of the administration have spoken positively about other flawed proposals, including stealing from Social Security or forcing families to borrow money from their own Child Tax Credit. A loan is not paid leave. All these proposals exclude those who need to care for a serious personal or family illness — three-quarters of those taking leave.
For those who say at least it’s a step, we say: a step isn’t progress if it goes in the wrong direction.
The Trump administration has yet to put out a serious child care plan, despite the growing challenges families face finding affordable, convenient, high quality care and the near poverty wages of child care teachers. They say they support families, but their latest child care report suggests that the way to make child care more affordable is to ask parents to sacrifice their children’s health and safety.
This administration may pay lip service to families. They may put on a White House summit or promote bait and switch plans, but they do not serve or speak for working families.
Families have been saying clearly what they need. They want to be able to heal when necessary and to be there for those they love — to welcome a new child, help a loved one recover or ease their passing — without fear of losing a job or a paycheck. They want paid leave that includes businesses of all sizes and families of all types, because they know our nation and our families are stronger when we can take that time.
Families want to be together, without fear that they will be torn apart by deportation. They want to know that employment will be a way out of poverty, not another form of poverty.
They want high-quality, affordable care — as well as care for their aging parents — provided by people whose work is valued and properly compensated, with the freedom to join a union. Families want high-quality child care for their children — care that doesn’t break the bank and still meets their needs. Older adults want to age with dignity and independence, with access to long-term care if needed.
Families want to be secure, knowing that regardless of the color of their skin or the country of their birth, they will be treated with respect.
Our movement is winning inclusive policies at the state level, often with bipartisan support. We call on members of Congress from both parties to pass effective national solutions that guarantee you can take time for your family and find affordable and quality care when needed, no matter where you live or work or whom you love.
Ai-jen Poo is executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the co-director of the Caring Across Generations campaign.
Fatima Goss Graves is President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, as well as a Co-Founder of the Times UP Legal Defense Fund, fighting for gender justice in the courts, in public policy, and in our society.
Ellen Bravo is co-director of Family Values @ Work, a network of state coalitions working for inclusive paid leave.
