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Breaking: Democrats Drop Plans to Include Paid Leave In Proposed Tax & Spending Plan


Late this afternoon, it was announced that Democrats were dropping plans to include a planned twelve weeks of paid leave from a proposed tax and spending plan working its way through Congress.

As some readers might have heard, Congressional Democrats have been in negotiations over the size and scope of a proposed tax and spending plan for several weeks now.  While there has been broad consensus among Democrats about the need to approve a tax and spending plan while they have majority control of the House, Senate, and White House (and can approve such a measure without Republican support), the point of contention among Democrats has been about the size (and cost) of the tax and spending plan.

It has been reported that Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have been the two Democratic hold ups in negotiations.  Both Senators Manchin and Sinema have been reported to favor a lower tax and spending plan.  In doing so, that would require something (or multiple things) to be cut from the tax and spending plan…with paid leave recently being placed on the chopping block.  While there was talk of reducing the paid leave to four weeks and some hope that paid family leave (but not paid sick leave) could survive negotiations, it appears paid leave is off the table in its entirely.

Granted, I would not call this the end of the road for those hoping that Congress approves some sort of paid leave legislation.  (After all, as recently as a few years ago, Republicans were voicing their support for paid leave.)  However, for the time being, it appears paid leave will not make it into this tax and spending plan.


For additional information:  The point of contention among Democrats has been about the size (and cost) of the tax and spending plan

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